Dear Theodosia
by Chance'sfinalride
Summary: Frank Castle saved her and took her in as his own. This is the story of her life as a member of the Castle family, what it was like after losing them, and discovering that her father is alive despite what she believed. Rated M for swearing, mentions of domestic violence, abuse of a child, sexual assault, and death. The summary isn't the best but the story is better
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey guys this is my first Punisher FF, I'm a huge fan of the show and think Jon Bernthal plays Frank Castle perfectly. I also think Ben Barnes is amazing and amazing to look at. But so the story will be at first from my OCs teen years to the Daredevil s2 timeline all the way to the Punisher series timeline. Also, I edited and updated all of the chapters and will be replacing them because I changed quite a bit.**_

 _ **Teddy- Cristine Prosperi**_

 _ **Owen Murphy- Cillian Murphy**_

 _ **THEN:**_

It was a freezing December night in New York when he found her. Frank had just learned that his wife was pregnant with their first child. He and Maria decided to celebrate so Frank went to get some takeout from a restaurant that they both loved, on his way back he saw a small figure run into an alley with a car barely missing it. Out of curiosity and slight concern, he walked into the alley after the figure. He looked around and didn't see much besides the dumpster, but a sudden intake of breath made him turn to a pile of trash at the end of the alley. He noticed some of the garbage was pushed around, and the snow was burrowed so that someone or something, small could fit in it. The small figure was curled up in the middle of the hole, wearing a hoodie that looked like it could fit Frank himself. The figure was visibly shaking and shivering, so Frank knelt down in front of it and asked

"Are you cold?"

The figure looked up to him, and he saw that it was a little girl no older than 4 or 5, with big brown eyes. She was very small and thin and had a bluish-purple tint to her face and lips from the cold. She nodded her head

"Ok come with me let's see if we can't get you warm, maybe some food too," he told her, holding his hand out for her to take. Instead, she stared at him for a moment, trying to read him, then she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own little ones around his neck. He wrapped an arm around her, keeping her steady on him, reached for a ratty little-stuffed rabbit that laid in the snow next to the hole, then the food and continued back to his home.

* * *

By the time they had returned to the house, the little girl had stopped shivering so bad. He walked inside and Maria was quick to come to the door

"That took awhile is everything-" She stopped mid-sentence "Oh my God"

Frank put the food on an end table, then put the little girl down on the sofa

"Oh my god, who is this?" Maria asked

"I don't know. I found her freezing in an alley with some garbage" Frank replied

"Did you get her name?"

"No, Jesus, I was more worried about her freezing to death then I was her name"

Maria sat next to the little girl on the couch "Hi sweetheart"

The little girl looked at her

"Can you tell us your name?" she asked

The little girl blinked at her, then pointed at Frank and said "Bunny"

"Did she just call you 'Bunny'?" Maria asked

Frank shook his head "No, I think she wants this" he held up the ratty toy

Maria wrinkled her nose at the toy "Ew, can we please throw that thing away?"

"Why don't we take care of her first?"

"Yeah come on let's go"

"Go?"

"The hospital. She has to be checked out"

Frank agreed "Come on sweetheart," he said reaching out to her. She leaped back into his arms without hesitation, and the three left for the hospital.

* * *

When they were finally seen at the hospital, they were taken to an exam room by a nurse named Rose and Frank explained how he found her, the nurses having Frank and Maria leave the room while they examined her. After 15 minutes they let the pair go back into the room, the little girl was in a pair of plain blue pajamas with an IV sticking out of her arm, coloring on the bed. Rose saw the couple in the doorway and went to speak to them,

"You guys brought her in at a good time. She's malnourished and damn near hypothermic. Plus when we were examining her we saw bruises on her ribs, so we did an x-ray. She's got healed fractures on a few of her ribs. Wherever she came from, personally, I'd rather she didn't go back" Rose explained

Maria gasped and put her hand to her mouth

"Did you get her name?" asked Frank

Rose shook her head "No, all she's done was ask for her bunny"

"We are not giving her that thing" stated Maria giving Frank a look.

Frank thought for a minute remembering the gift shop they passed on their way in. He told his wife to wait with the kid, then he went quickly down to the shop and searched for a rabbit. He finally found a medium, cream-colored rabbit with long ears that had silk on the inside and on the bottom of its feet. He paid for it then hurried back up to the kid's room. He showed the rabbit to his wife then went into the room.

"Hey, sweetheart" he greeted. The girl looked up at him and smiled "I brought you something"

He held out the rabbit and her eyes widened in shock

"For me?" she asked

"Yeah just for you" Frank replied

"Thank you!" she cheered, grabbing the rabbit and squeezing it to her

Frank chuckled "What's your name?" he asked

"Theodosia" she answered, playing with the rabbits' ears

"That's a nice name," said Maria coming into the room

"Thank you" replied Theodosia

"I'm Frank Castle and this is my wife Maria," said Frank "Can you tell us how old you are?"

"This many" Theodosia told them holding up seven fingers

Rose came back in the room and called the pair back into the hallway.

"She's pretty small for seven," said Maria

"That's the malnourishment. She should hopefully start growing once we get her eating, but there's the possibility that her growth is permanently stunted" Rose explained "She's taken to you very well, I'm actually a little surprised"

"Why's that?" asked Frank

"Because usually when a child is abused and denied affection, it can be very hard for them to display it themselves," she said

"So what now?" asked Maria

"Well she'll be here for a few days, but then she'll be put into foster care"

"Then what?" asked Frank

"I don't really know for sure" Rose replied

Frank looked at Maria then in the same beat asked, "What if we took her?"

"What?" asked Rose

"Frank" Maria began

"I'm just saying maybe we can keep her with us, at least until they find her a family"

"I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem with it, but the CPS worker will be up any minute so you can talk to them," Rose told them

* * *

Just a few moments later a tall, slim woman came out of the elevators and came to look into the room that Theodosia was staying in

"You must be the couple that found her. I'm Alice Williams with Children's Services" she introduced

"Frank and Maria Castle" Frank replied shaking her hand

"I'm glad you found her before it was too late. This time could have been so much worse" Alice explained

"This time? So you've seen her before?" Asked Maria

Alice nodded and opened up a file "Unfortunately yes. Theodosia Xitano, age 7. She comes from a Romani family just outside of Alphabet City. Dad beats the hell out of her, and mom just watches. Last time I saw her she had 3 broken ribs, bruises covering most of her body, and a broken arm from having it twisted behind her back."

Maria gasped and put her hand on her chest to keep from vomiting "Oh god, that poor baby"

Frank put an arm around his wife "Wait, so you know this is going on and you still send her back there?"

"We put her in foster care for a while, but then the courts rule to put her back with her parents"

Frank exhaled and opened his mouth, but Maria cut him off

"Can we take her in? As a more permanent thing," She asked

"Maria, are you sure about this? We can't just take her in and then give her back" Frank told her

"We can't just let her go back to those people, Frank. We can give her a good home, a place for her to be loved and to be healthy"

Frank nodded in agreement "Well, can we take her?"

Alice looked at the pair "There'd be a lot of paperwork, and a background check on you both. But if you're willing to take her and raise her as your own, I don't see a problem with that, especially since it looks like she's grown attached to you both"

"How soon can we start the paperwork?"

"First thing in the morning. But for now, she's going to stay in the hospital for a few days"

Frank and Maria thanked Alice and shook hands before going to Theodosia and sitting with her for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day the paperwork was started and almost a month later the Castles were allowed to adopt Theodosia. She called them 'Mom and Dad' and she was affectionately called 'Teddy' by her parents. She got healthier as time went on, gaining weight, learning how to speak proper sentences, and how to read and write. She was very smart and enjoyed reading with Frank, whom she had become very close to. When Lisa was born, Teddy was over the moon with joy that she had a new sister, and again two years later when Frank Jr was born.

The years went on and the family grew up and grew closer, dealing with Frank's ins and outs with the Marines. Teddy was 13, Lisa 6, and Frankie J was 4. She had grown gracefully, becoming a healthy weight but remained at a fairly short 5'1 not growing anymore. Frank was back and forth for months being deployed with the Marines, and all the kids sent him letters every day until he returned on leave. When he returned in time for her 14th birthday, he brought over two men named Curtis Hoyle and Billy Russo, who he worked with and became good friends with. Curtis taught Teddy how to play chess and it became a ritual for them to play every time Curtis went to the house and Billy was all about books, always recommending something new for her to read.

* * *

 **Years Later**

Teddy now 17, sat anxiously at her school desk waiting for the bell to ring, so she could leave. For weeks prior, a rose was left taped to her locker door, but that morning a note was left with the rose asking her to meet the admirer after school in front of the building. She had no idea who was sending them and she intended on finding out. Finally, the bell rang and Teddy rushed to grab her belongings and go to the front of the school.

Outside she looked around wondering who it was that sent all the roses and the note when suddenly, a hand tapped her shoulder. She spun around and saw a handsome boy, with mesmerizing blue eyes, holding a small bouquet of roses. He smiled at her and cleared his throat

"Hi," he said

"Hi" she replied

"I got these for you," he told her, handing her the flowers

She took them with a smile and slight blush creeping on her cheeks "Thank you. So I guess it's been you leaving these on my locker?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit shy and wanted to get your attention. I hope I didn't scare you or anything"

"No, I think it's sweet. I'm Teddy Castle"

"I'm Owen Murphy"

"I'm also very late. I have to go pick up my younger brother and sister from school"

"I can drive you if you'd like" Owen offered

"Thanks, but my mom would kill me if I had them in a car with someone she didn't know" Teddy explained

"She's very smart" he chuckled

Teddy nodded with a small laugh "That she is"

"Can I walk with you then?" he asked

"I'd like that" she smiled

Owen reached out his hand for her to take, and she did intertwining their fingers walking off toward the elementary school, talking as they went.

Teddy learned that he was an 18-year-old Senior, his mother owned a bakery, his father made furniture, he had 4 siblings, wanted to go to school for business, and that his parents and oldest sibling all immigrated from Ireland. They arrived at the elementary school and got Lisa and Frankie J, Teddy introduced them to Owen and Frankie asked if Owen was her boyfriend. Teddy just blushed and told him to hush up while they continued to the house. When they finally arrived back to Teddy's house she let the kids in the house and turned back to Owen

"Thanks for walking with me, and uh, sorry about my brother" she apologized

Owen laughed "Don't worry about it. And besides, you never know"

Teddy cocked her head in confusion, and Owen leaned down close to her

"Maybe I will be your boyfriend" he whispered

Teddy felt the blood rush to her face as Owen leaned back

"Maybe" she whispered

Her mother opened the door behind her "Teddy, I need you to come inside please"

"Ok mom" she replied

"Who's this?" her mother asked

"Owen Murphy ma'am" Owen answered sticking out his hand

Maria shook it "I'm Maria Castle, Teddy's mother"

"That's Teddy's boyfriend" Frank Jr sang

"Uh, not yet ma'am, but here's hoping," Owen told her

"Oh, well I'll let you two finish up and I'll take these and put them in water," Maria said taking the roses, before heading back inside

Teddy's face was a deep shade of red

"Well, I should let you go," Owen said with a slight blush on his own face

"Yeah" she replied

"Do you mind if I pick you up for school tomorrow?" he asked

"Not at all. I'd really like that" she answered

"Ok, I'll see you in the morning," he said, squeezing her hand

"Bye" she headed inside

"Wait!" he called

Teddy turned back around and Owen grabbed her hand again

"Will you come to the formal with me? Like a date?" he asked

"Yeah. Yes, I'd love to" she replied

Owen smiled "Ok, I'll see you in the morning then"

"In the morning" she repeated

He leaned down once again and pressed his lips to her cheek before pulling away and walking down the street. Teddy went inside and closed the door, resting against it. Her cheek tingled from where he had kissed her and she couldn't help the squeal of delight that escaped her lips.

She walked into the kitchen, where her mother had put the roses in a vase on the counter by the sink

"Mom?" Teddy asked

"Hmm" her mother replied

"Um, can we go dress shopping this weekend?"

"Dress shopping? Why?"

"Owen asked me to formal, and I said yes"

"The boy from outside?"

Teddy nodded

"How old is he?" her mother questioned

"18, he's a senior. But he's really nice" Teddy replied

"18? I don't know Teddy"

"Mom, come on, please. I get straight A's and you know I'm good and don't get into trouble"

Maria cupped her daughters face lightly "I know you're good, but it's not you I'm worried about"

Teddy gave her mom a wide grin "Please mom"

Maria sighed "Ok, we can go on Saturday and I'm going to be telling your father, so there's going to be ground rules"

"Ok! Thank you, mom!" Teddy cheered

Maria laughed as her daughter raced out of the kitchen, wondering what her husband was going to say. She didn't have to wait long since the Skype call was ringing.

Maria sat at the computer and answered the call "Hi baby!"

 _"Hey, sweetheart. How's everything?" Frank greeted_

"Oh you know, same old same old. How about you?"

 _"Same old same old. Are those Roses behind you?"_

Maria turned and looked at the vase "Yeah"

 _"Who gave you roses?" Frank asked slightly angry_

"They're not mine, they're Teddy's" Maria replied

 _"Oh," Frank said, "Wait, who the hell gave Teddy a bouquet of roses?"_

"A boy at school. The same boy that I told you has been leaving her flowers every day. He also asked her to the winter formal."

 _"What boy? I hope to hell you said no"_

"He's a senior, 18, I met him today his name is Owen Murphy"

 _"18!? She's only 17. No. No way and I hope you told her that"_

"I told her we would have ground rules," Maria told him slowly

 _Frank groaned "You gave in"_

"She's 17 Frank. She's not a little girl anymore" reminded Maria

"I _know" Frank sighed "I want her home at 10:03 exactly. Not a minute later or sooner"_

"She'll be glad to hear. And I'll make sure she sticks to it"

Frank finished the call with his wife and went back to the bunks and sat on his bed with a frustrated sigh

"Everything good man?" asked Russo

Frank nodded "Teddy's making me crazy"

"Making trouble?"

"Worse. Boyfriends."

"How old's the boyfriend?"

"The boy is 18. She's way too young for this"

"She's going to do it anyway though, she's a teenager. But at least she told you about it"

"I'm just not ready for this man"

"Don't worry Frankie, if he tries anything I'll gladly put him in a hole for you" Russo laughed, going back to his book, Frank chuckling and throwing a plush football at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: New edited/updated chapter. Same warnings apply for the domestic violence and mentions of sexual assault**

For the next two weeks after their first encounter, Owen picked Teddy up for school every day, then drove her to dance practice and home later. He was always very sweet, opening doors for her, holding her hand and telling her how beautiful she was. But Teddy noticed how he'd get possessive when she was around her other male friends, and when she was in her dance uniform with the other dancers. Since Owen was her first boyfriend she just thought that was just how guys were, so she wore mostly t-shirts and pants, and didn't hang around other guys much.

The night of the formal had finally come and Teddy was putting the finishing touches on her makeup while her sister sat on her bed watching.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Lisa asked

"Of course. When you're a little older" Teddy replied

Lisa frowned and Teddy beckoned her to the vanity. She walked over and sat on her sister's lap, careful not to wrinkle her dress. Teddy put a bit of blush on her brush and swept it lightly over Lisa's cheeks, giving her a light rose hue

"First rule of makeup, less is always more," She told her sister, giving her a squeeze and smiling in the mirror

"Ohh, how cute!" gushed Maria from the doorway, snapping another photo

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Teddy

"Long enough. Now stand up and let me get a picture of you in that beautiful dress"

Teddy rose and smoothed out her dress. It was a glittery, red dress with straps that fell just below her knees and accentuated all of her curves.

"Teddy you look so beautiful," Maria said as the doorbell rang

"Thanks, mom. Now come on, Owen's here no more pictures" Teddy pleaded

"Just a couple more of you two, then I'm done. Oops"

"Oops?"

"I've been videotaping this whole time" Maria laughed

"Ugh, mom you are so stone age" Replied Teddy, fixing the camera

They went downstairs and opened the door to Owen, who was dressed in a white, dress up button down and black blazer.

"Everyday I see you, you look beautiful but tonight you look absolutely stunning," He said kissing her hand

"Thank you. You look great too" Teddy giggled

"You two are just so adorable! Come over here so I can take some pictures" exclaimed Maria

They moved in front of the fireplace and posed close, with her arms around his waist and his arm over her shoulders, while Maria snapped more pictures.

"Mom, come on we have to go," Teddy told her mother

"Ok ok. Now remember what your father said, be home at exactly 10:03" Maria warned

"Don't worry Mrs. Castle, I'll have her home on time" said Owen

They finished saying their goodbyes and left, heading for the hall the dance was being held in.

Teddy and Owen arrived at the hall and greeted their friends and went to their table.

* * *

Later into the night, after they had danced, ate and had fun, they were talking with some of the other seniors that were there. Teddy noticed that Owen was acting strange and glaring in her direction at times, but she figured she'd ask him on the way home why he was acting that way. She was talking with a senior boy named Jeff about school when he leaned over and told her that she looked pretty. Owen heard this and got up, grabbing Teddy's arm in a vice grip, dragging her roughly out the door.

"Ow! Owen, you're hurting me! Let go!" Teddy yelled as she was dragged to the car

Owen ignored her and continued pulling, only stopping to open the car door and toss her inside. Teddy sat up straight and felt the panic settle in her chest, while Owen got in on the other side of the car. He started the car and sped off, out of the parking lot. Teddy had opened her mouth to say something but before the words left her mouth he started yelling

"Why is it that you have to constantly have to flirt with every guy we're in a room with? Am I not good enough that you have to get attention from every guy we meet?" he yelled

"What are you talking about? I wasn't flirting with anyone" Teddy said

"Then what the hell was that with Jeff just now? Huh?" he screamed grabbing her face "Always walking around in those tight little dance outfits, just begging to be looked at"

Teddy was crying, scared because she didn't know what to do. He let her go and focused back on the road

"Owen, baby-" She started

A hard stinging slap echoed inside the car. Teddy grabbed her face "Oh my god"

"Don't 'Baby' me. I'm not a baby, and I don't want to hear any excuses from you" He shouted

"Oh my god, oh my god" she repeated crying

"Shut up!" another hit to her face

Teddy stayed quiet and just held her face sobbing. They pulled up to her house and she jumped out before Owen could grab her, and ran inside. She locked the door and went upstairs quickly, ignoring her mother's calls and slammed her bedroom door, locking it. She looked at her face in the mirror, seeing the bruises already forming just like the deep hand-shaped mark on her arm from where Owen had grabbed her

"Teddy, is everything ok?" her mother knocked

Teddy tried to steady her voice before answering "Yeah mom. Everything's fine"

"Are you sure? You're home pretty early"

Teddy wanted to open the door and tell her mother everything. To sob in her arms and to have her dad come and protect her, to make her feel safe. But instead, she replied

"I'm sure. I wasn't feeling so great so I had Owen bring me home"

"Do you want some tea?"

"No thank you. I'm just going to lie down"

"Ok sweetie, feel better. I'll check on you tomorrow"

Her mother left and Teddy laid down in her bed, still in her dress and cried silently. No one except for the person in the room directly next to hers, hearing her. The person who did, however, was Lisa, who sat up listening to her older sisters sobs.

* * *

The next day Teddy got up and changed out of her dress and into a tank top and yoga pants, sitting back at her vanity to try and cover up the bruises, that seemed to have turned a dark bluish-purple color. She reached for her makeup when her door burst open and Lisa came running inside

"Teddy there's-" Lisa's voice fell as she looked at her sister "What happened?"

Teddy pulled Lisa inside and closed the door "Listen to me nothing happened ok?"

"But your face, is that why you were crying last night?"

"It's fine. Lisa listen to me you can't tell anyone, not mom and especially not dad. Do you understand?" Teddy pushed

"No, why can't I tell?" Lisa asked

"Because you're my sister and sisters share secrets. And this is a big secret that I need you to keep, ok?"

Lisa nodded "Ok"

"Promise me, Lisa. No matter what happens you won't ever tell anyone"

"I promise that I won't tell anyone. No matter what"

"Good. Now pinkie" Teddy stuck out her pinkie, and Lisa mimicked the action. They hooked their pinkies together and shook, sealing their promise. Lisa then turned and went back downstairs, closing Teddy's door behind her. She sat back down and put makeup on the bruises and when she was done it looked like they were never there. Like what happened the night before was just a nightmare. But the hand-shaped bruise on her wrist reminded her that it was real, the image of Owens ocean blue eyes turning into a dark midnight color and his face twisted into a rage was all real.

"Teddy, come downstairs please!" Maria called

"Coming!" Teddy replied, grabbing a sweater to cover her arm and went downstairs

When she got downstairs she went into the kitchen and froze in the doorway. Owen was sitting at the table talking with her mom and brother. Her mom looked at her and smiled

"Owen stopped by" she stated

"Yeah," Teddy said cautiously

"Can we talk?" Owen said standing

Teddy nodded and led him upstairs to her bedroom

"Door open please!" her mother yelled after them

Owen went inside Teddy's room and sat at the edge of her bed, while Teddy opted to stand.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for last night. I overreacted" he said

Teddy just stared at him, unmoving. He stood up quickly, causing her to flinch, and closed the distance between them, grabbing her by her neck and pulling her in, kissing her hard. She returned his kiss and when they broke away, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered breathlessly

"I love you. Ok?"

Teddy nodded "Ok"

It was the first time he'd ever said anything like that to her, but the way he said it reminded her of when she made her sister promise to keep her secrets earlier that morning. She knew that what he did was wrong, but he said he loved her and he was her first boyfriend, so she promised herself that if he ever did it again, she would leave. No matter what.

* * *

If only those promises were kept.

* * *

For weeks after that, he was nothing but gentle and sweet toward her. The worst he ever did was yell. But still Teddy was prepared and waiting for his face to turn angry they way it did that night, and for the longest time it didn't, so Teddy relaxed a little.

If Owen was anything it was punctual to the second. He hated waiting and hated wasting his time. Teddy was aware of this and tried to avoid making him angry by always making sure she left classes on time to meet him, even leaving early or skipping a class to make sure he didn't wait. She had tried to leave early from dance practice one afternoon but was stopped by her dance partner Cheon, who wanted to talk about her performance.

"Teddy what's been up with you lately?" he asked

"What? Nothing I'm fine" she answered quickly

"Really? You haven't been moving like it. You move like you have no energy" he told her

"Cheon, really I'm fine. Now I have to go" she said. She knew that Owen was already outside and she didn't want to keep him waiting any more than she has.

"Hang on, I think you should stay a bit and practice some more"

"I can't," she said, rushing out the door

She got outside just as Owen was pulling up. Just as she was about to get in Cheon came outside and yelled to her "I mean it Teddy we have to work on this. You gotta move"

She nodded and got in the car, Owen pulling away as soon as the door shut.

"Hey, what happened? I thought I was keeping you waiting" she asked him

"Was waiting on a delivery at the bakery. They kept me for more than an hour" he said sharply

"I'm sorry, that must've pissed you off" she replied grabbing his free hand. He grunted in response. The air in the car felt thick and heavy, like before a thunderstorm, but Teddy couldn't figure out why.

"So who was that?" he asked

"Cheon, my dance partner" she answered

"What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing he's only my partner for the class"

"Don't lie to me, Teddy"

"I'm not lyi-"

"I said don't lie!" he screamed, striking her across the face

"Owen please, it's nothing. I love you" Teddy said reaching for his hand again. But as soon as her fingertips brushed against his skin, his fist was in motion, hitting her right on the jaw before she had time to react, causing her to hit her head on the car's window.

"Shut the hell up," he said

"Owen-" She cried

He struck her again with his fist, hitting just below her eye "This isn't my fault. You know what you did" he said darkly. Teddy remained quiet for the rest of the ride back to her house, trying to think of an excuse for her bruises.

They pulled up to the house and Teddy saw her mom's car in the driveway, along with another car she didn't recognize. They sat quietly in the car for a few minutes before Owen reached behind her neck and turned her toward him

"Hey" he whispered, pressing their lips together in a rough kiss "I love you"

"I love you too" she replied, exiting the car

She walked up to her house and went inside, hearing a few voices that she didn't know. She hoped to just escape up to her room to fix her face before anyone saw, but her mother was in the living room and saw her, letting out a terrified shriek

"Theodosia!" she screamed

Teddy jumped and pairs of feet came running into the living room. Frank, Curtis, and Billy all came rushing inside

"Dad!" Teddy exclaimed

"What happened?" he asked

"Frank look at her face! Teddy who did this?" her mother asked sitting her in a chair

"No one, it was an accident," Teddy told her

"Babygirl, you tell us a name and we'll take care of it. You don't have to be afraid" Curtis said to her

"Teddy now you tell me, who did this to you?" said Frank

"Daddy, listen. No one did this. It was an accident. I hit my face on the bar during class" She explained

Maria came in with an ice pack and put it on Teddy's face "How did you hit the bar?"

"We were trying to teach a routine with a jump and a lift and the idiot missed and dropped me and I hit my face" Teddy explained

Everyone sighed

Teddy looked at the other men in the room, Curtis's face relaxing, but Billy was looking at her like he knew something.

"I'm really happy to see you," she told Frank pulling him into a hug

"I'm happy to see you too darling" Frank replied

They pulled away and Teddy turned toward Curtis

"Hey Curtis, you down for a match?" she asked

"You know it kid" Curtis laughed

"Cool, I'm going to put my bag away then I'll be right back"

Curtis nodded and Teddy ran upstairs to her room.

Teddy was digging in her bag with her back to the door, not hearing the footsteps on the stairs

"Hit your face on a dance bar huh?" Billy asked

Teddy turned around quickly and saw Billy leaning in her doorway "Yeah"

"You know that's funny because I've seen dance bars and there's no way it would leave a mark like that," he said pointing to her face "The only thing that leaves a mark like that is a fist"

Teddy crossed her arms over her chest "Is that so?"

"Yeah" he moved closer into the room, looking at her photos

"And who's fist was it then Sherlock?"

"Your boyfriend"

Teddy's eyes opened in shock. She didn't understand how he knew that "You're wrong"

"Am I?" he turned to look at her

"Yes"

"If you say so. But just so you know, it's only gonna get worse if you don't stop it"

He started walking out the door, but Teddy stopped him

"And if there was something for me to stop" he faced her again "How do I stop it?"

"Say the word. I'll take care of it" he told her

Teddy nodded "If I ever have a problem then, I'll let you know"

He nodded and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

* * *

For the next few months after that day, Frank kept an eye on Teddy, not trusting what she had said. But she didn't come home with any more bruises so he relaxed a bit but still paid close attention. He told his wife on many occasions that he didn't like Owen, even more so after the two had finally met. But he, unfortunately, couldn't talk Teddy out of dating him, so he was stuck with it until she decided to break up with him. What really bothered him, was when Lisa had told him that she had been hearing Teddy cry at night, but wouldn't say why. It just wasn't like his oldest to cry herself to sleep like that.

* * *

In the meantime, after that day with Billy, Owen had stopped hitting Teddy in her face and instead hit her more in places that could be hidden like her arms, legs, back, stomach, etc. She figured out that after he'd hit her she'd have at least 12 hours of safety, where he would be nothing but nice to her, giving her flowers, candy and other random gifts. He never said he was sorry but sometimes when he was hitting her really bad, he'd stop and a look of horror would flash in his eyes, almost like he just realized what he did and stop, fist raised and all.

Teddy's 18th birthday came and went, and with that brought another nightmare from Owen. The night of her birthday they went to celebrate, then back to his house before she had to go home. She had thought about having sex before since she was older and all of her friends had done it by the time they were 15, but she didn't want it to happen that night and not like that. She begged and pleaded for him to stop but he didn't. All he did was hit her and force his way on top of her while she cried. It happened many more times since then, but that night changed Teddy.

* * *

One night, she went home and cried like she had so many nights before. But she didn't know that someone besides Lisa could hear her that night. Billy was spending the night in the Castle's guest bedroom trying to sleep when he heard the sound of Teddy's cries. Over the years since their first meeting, the dynamic between the oldest Castle child and Billy had changed. Before, they would sit for hours talking about books and life, but as she got older an odd feeling and tension filled the room whenever they were around one another, so gradually their talks became less and less frequent until they stopped altogether. He got up and crept to her bedroom and knocked on the door. She didn't answer but the sound suddenly stopped. He sighed and opened the door quietly, sticking his head in the room. Teddy was curled under the covers, unmoving and not making a sound. He went inside and closed the door quietly and sat at the foot of her bed

"You're not fooling me you know," he said

Teddy rolled over to face him "Who said I was trying?"

"What happened?" he asked

"Nothing"

"Bull. I can hear you"

Teddy sighed "If I say anything can we keep it between the two of us"

Russo stared at her "Ok" he nodded

"I'm serious. My dad, my mom, Curtis. No one can know"

"I swear" he promised

Teddy sat up, pulling her knees to her chest

"Can't hear you if you don't speak up" Russo joked

"You know I always figured that when I had sex for the first time it would be something great, you know? Not another nightmare"

Russo's face fell "Did he-"

"Yeah. More than once" Teddy finished tearily

"Jesus Christ" he whispered "You need to get out of this"

"I know, but I can't" she cried

"Why?"

"Because I'm dirt, I'm nothing and he loves me. No one else will"

Russo grabbed her face and looked straight into her eyes "Listen to me. You are not dirt, he is. He's the one who's nothing and nothing but dirt. He doesn't love you. If he loved you he wouldn't hurt you, he'd treat you like the queen you are. You're a beautiful girl, who deserves better"

She returned his stare not moving, not saying anything. Russo moved quickly, placing his lips on hers in a sweet kiss. She returned his kiss and they sat there for a moment, their tongues dancing around each other until Russo pulled away breathlessly. It clicked in their heads what had just happened and Russo got up and left the room, as quickly and quietly as he had come, leaving Teddy sitting confused on her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The updated/edited chapter to wrap up Teddy's teen years. Next chapter will be jumping into Daredevil s2, where some of the things I didn't cover here will be covered in either flashbacks of conversations with other characters. I will put up the new chapter as soon as I'm able!**

The next morning Teddy woke up and went down to the kitchen, where her dad sat at the kitchen table. She grabbed a mug and poured herself some coffee,

"Everyone else still sleeping?" she asked

"Yeah" he replied

"Not you?"

"How can you tell?"

"Because the sun is barely up and you're awake. Plus you can never sleep right when you get back" she told her father, sitting down in the chair across from him

Frank chuckled

"I know you too well. You may be able to hide it from mom and the kids, but we're closer than that"

"Yeah we are" he agreed

Suddenly Billy appeared in the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting in between the two Castles, tension filling the room

"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Frank

"Nah, I'm just an early riser" Bill lied

Teddy scoffed into her coffee

"What about you princess? Can't sleep?" Bill turned on her

"Got a lot on my mind" She shrugged

The two men just sipped their coffee, exchanging a look

"So what's the plan for today?" Frank asked

"Not sure. I might see Cree today before I see Owen" She answered, stealing a glance at Billy

"You guys still friends?" asked Frank, ignoring the part about Owen

"Of course, us Gypsies have to stick together," Teddy told him as she got up to put her cup in the sink

"Hey!" Frank said grabbing her arm "Don't let me hear you say that again, you know that's not ok"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry" she apologized

Frank nodded and released her arm, Teddy fixing the sleeve of her shirt before Frank could notice the bruises "What time are you going?"

"Not until later in the afternoon, you know Cree likes to sleep in. Why you need something?" She asked

"Frank's at his sleepover, and your mom and I need to take Lisa to her appointment. I was just wondering so Billy here wouldn't be left alone too long" Frank told her

"Yeah I'll be here"

Frank nodded and Teddy went back up to her room, feeling flushed at the thought of being alone with Billy after what had happened the previous night.

A few hours later Frank and Maria left with Lisa, leaving Billy and Teddy alone in the house. Teddy sat on the couch in the living room, watching a movie while Billy sat uncomfortably on the other side.

"So how did you know that I was lying earlier?" he asked, trying to break the thick tension that filled the air

"You're pretty easy to read" She answered with a smirk

"Is that so?" he grinned

Teddy nodded and laughed. The two sat and chuckled, then Teddy's attention suddenly snapped to the tv

"Oh! I love this part!" she exclaimed, jumping up and dancing to the song that was playing

"What is this?" he asked

"A good song, now come on!" she said, pulling him to his feet

She twirled around him, holding his hand in hers, while he stood awkwardly

"What's a matter, Russo? You can talk the talk but can't walk the walk?" she teased

He smiled slyly and spun her in a circle before dipping her "I can walk the walk"

She looked up at him and breathlessly told him "Good to know that you're not all talk"

He brought her back up and they continued dancing to the song. When it was over Teddy gave Billy a mock applause and laughed at him

"Look at that. You move pretty well"

"Thank you, see I'm not just a pretty face"

"I never said you were"

"So I'm not pretty?" he teased

"I never said that either" she shot back

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand cupped on her cheek. Flustered Teddy backed up and retreated upstairs to her room.

* * *

She sat on her bed, her mind replaying what had gone on between the night before and just then in the living room. As much as she hated to admit it she had fallen for Billy Russo. She wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but somewhere along the years of them knowing each other and their constant life talks, Teddy began to have romantic feelings toward Billy. At the time she chalked it up to a silly teenage, school girl crush and just distanced herself from him. But, even with the space between them, she found herself always thinking of his bright smile and dark eyes. It wasn't just the fact that he was handsome, however, because she knew he really was more than his face. He was smart, funny, sweet, kind, and even a bit cunning. He had a past and was determined to get over it and be better than whatever it was he came from. But with their age difference of her only being 18 and him being in his mid-twenties she knew that even if he ever returned her feelings, it would be extremely frowned upon. Especially since he was her father's friend.

On the other end, Billy was thinking the same thing. He didn't understand how he found himself falling for Frank Castle's daughter, but somehow her smile was constantly stuck in his mind. He was always thinking of the clever, funny, quirky girl, who seemed to always light up a room when she entered. Since the day he met her he noticed this but pushed it to the back of his mind due to her age. As she got older, though, the feelings he had toward her became stronger and something more than just a platonic thing, which he tried to fight and ignore by avoiding the girl as much as he could, but when they were around each other he still noticed the little things about her. And now he noticed how it seemed like she wasn't glowing like she used to before, he knew that it was because of her boyfriend hurting her, which pissed him off more than anything. Just the very idea of anyone hurting her and taking away her light made Billy think dangerous thoughts. But at the same time, he knew that it would be bad if he tried to make a move on Teddy. But he just couldn't stop himself.

It was a good thing he enjoyed trouble.

* * *

He climbed the stairs to her room and opened the door. Teddy looked at him in surprise

"Billy what are you doing?" she asked

He took large steps toward her and grabbed her face gently pressing his lips to hers. She returned the kiss and they sat, exactly the way they did the night before, except this time when they broke away neither of them ran.

"We shouldn't be doing this" Teddy whispered

"Do you want me to stop?" Billy asked

"No" she answered and pulled him back into her

They kissed again, Teddy reaching to take off Billy's shirt. She threw it onto the floor and froze when she saw the scars on his shoulder

"Whoa" she whispered as she ran her hand gently over them

He grabbed her hand and kissed it "It's nothing"

"It doesn't look like nothing," she said

"I had this foster father, he was a really cool guy we all thought. He played stickball and stuff with us, I was like 11 or so at the time. Now when a grown man calls you pretty you know nothing good is going to come of it. Let's just say I wasn't interested in the kind of games he had in mind, so I went after him with the stickball bat. Got him good a few times too. But he just got pissed off, broke my arm, then ripped my rotator cuff in three pieces" he told her with a slight sigh

She leaned over and kissed his scars, leading to his neck "I'm sorry"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked

Teddy nodded "It's my choice this time"

Billy gently laid her on the bed, laying on top of her, and kissing her sweetly. He reached to take off her sweater, but when he tossed it to the side he saw the extent of her bruises

"What the hell!" he exclaimed sitting up "I'm going to kill that little bastard!"

He got up and started for the door but Teddy grabbed his arm in an attempt to pull him back

"No! Billy don't!" she pleaded

"What, are you really trying to protect him?" he demanded

"No, I'm trying to protect you. I don't want you getting in trouble over this" she told him

He pulled her over to her mirror and had her look at herself "Look at yourself! Do you see what he's done to you?"

Tearily Teddy turned away from the mirror "Yes I see"

"Then why are you trying to stop me from going after him?"

She turned to Billy and forced him to sit back down on the edge of the bed. Holding his face in her hands she told him "Because whatever this is aside, I care about you. I don't want you to end up in prison or worse for something I'm putting a stop to today"

"You're gonna end it" he stated

"Yeah, when I see him later" she repeated

Billy sighed, feeling frustrated and reached for his shirt, and put it back on. He stood up and began walking out the door, leaving Teddy standing dumbfounded

"What are you doing?" she asked

"I have to go. But I'll talk to you later" he said

"Promise?"

"I promise"

He kissed her quickly on the lips and left the house.

* * *

After Billy left, Teddy pulled out her phone to call Owen. She asked him to pick her up because she needed to talk to him. Half an hour later she was in Owens car, driving toward his house. Gathering up her courage she took a deep breath

"Owen, I want to break up," she told him

He hit the brakes on the car hard "You what?"

"I want to break up. I'm done" she repeated

Owen's fist struck her hard across the face "We're not done"

"No, I'm done. I deserve better than you hitting me" she said defiantly

"Shut up. You're nothing but a gypsy whore" he replied

"Better than a bastard," she said. When she realized what she had said her eyes widened and she tried to get out of the car. But Owen grabbed her by her hair and slammed her face repeatedly into the dash of the car. She screamed and tried to get out again. She managed to leave the car but he also got out and cut her off, punching her and knocking her to the ground. He punched and kicked her over and over again, when she tried to get up he grabbed her arm, twisting it to the point where Teddy felt the bone snap and pounded her face into the car. After her head hit the metal of the car for the fifth time she felt herself slip into a peaceful darkness, wondering if this was how she was going to die.

* * *

Frank had arrived home to find it empty, both Teddy and Billy nowhere to be seen. Maria and the kids came in behind him, his wife noticing the look of discomfort on his face asked him what was wrong

"Something's not right," he told her, not really having an explanation

"I'm sure it's nothing," his wife told him, checking the messages on the answering machine

" _Hey Theo it's Cree, I tried calling your cell but couldn't get you. Call me"_

" _Hey it's Cree again, where are you? Did you forget we were supposed to hang out?"_

" _Theo, it's Cree seriously are you like blowing me off or something? I can't reach your cell at all so can you call me back"_

Frank's blood ran cold as he listened to the messages. Teddy never just disappeared like that, she always called, especially if she had plans with someone. Maria must have come to the same conclusion because she was calling Teddy's friend Bree. After a quick conversation, Maria hung up

"She said Teddy never showed or called," she told him

"I'll call Russo, see if maybe they went to get some food or something and her phone died" Frank attempted to rationalize. He pulled out his phone and dialed Billy's number, receiving an answer after the third ring

" _Hey man, what's up?" Russo asked_

"Is Teddy with you?" Frank asked

" _Teddy? No, I left her at the house" Billy replied_

"She's not here"

" _Wasn't she supposed to meet her friend?"_

"She never got there. I'm going to try and find her"

" _Let me know what you find"_

Frank hung up in time to hear his wife shout for him. He rushed to the door and saw two uniformed police officers standing at his door

"Can I help you officers?" he asked

"Is this the residence of Theodosia Castle?" the officer asked

"Yes, that's our daughter" he answered

The officer held out Teddy's license "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes. What happened? How did you get that?" he asked

"I'm afraid there's been an accident," the officer told him

* * *

Frank and Maria rushed to the hospital, leaving Lisa and Frank with Curtis, who went to the house as soon as Frank told him what was going on. They raced through the hallways of the hospital, arriving at Teddy's room in time to see some doctors and nurses taking her away on a stretcher

"Wait, where are they taking her?" asked a crying Maria

"Up to surgery to try and put her arm back together" answered one of the nurses

Frank grabbed hold of a doctor and pulled him to the side "Can you tell me what happened?"

"You're daughter was brought in beaten half to death from a parking lot where a bystander happened to pass by. Her arm is shattered, we're hoping to repair it. Plus her jaw has a hairline fracture so we're going to have to wire it shut for at least two weeks. Other than that she has major bruising, broken ribs, and a pretty bad concussion" the doctor told them

"Oh my god! My baby, no! Who did this?" Maria cried out

"The police haven't found a suspect. But," the doctor hesitated

"But what?" demanded Frank

"Many of the bruising on your daughter's body is healed or healing. They have to be days if not weeks old."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that someone's been hurting her for a while. And judging by the location, I'd say a boyfriend"

Frank felt an intense rage course through him. The doctor excused himself and Frank brought Maria over to some chairs and sat her down. After what felt like a few hours, Frank saw Billy rushing down the hall, coming to a dead stop at the desk of the nursing station

"Russo!" Frank called

Billy turned, saw the couple and ran over to them "I called the house and Curtis picked up, he told me where you were. What happened? Where's Teddy?"

"She's in surgery. They're trying to put her arm back together" Frank told him through his tears

"What? What the hell happened Frank?"

"She was found half dead in a damn parking lot. Asshole beat her half to death, broke her arm, fractured her jaw...broke her ribs..." Frank growled

"Who did it?" Russo demanded

"We don't know for sure. They said a lot of it was days and weeks old. I think that bastard boyfriend of hers did this"

At the mention of it, Maria began crying again. Frank pulled his wife close to him, letting his own tears fall. Billy put his hand on Franks' shoulder

"I'm going to take care of this" he promised

He grabbed his phone and walked out of the hospital, intent on making Owen Murphy pay for what he did.

* * *

Several hours later Teddy stirring from her drug-induced sleep. She looked around the white room and tried to sit up, but realized her arm was cast and her torso was in extreme pain. She let out a whimper, and then a doctor was in the room standing across from her

"Theodosia listen to me ok? Your jaw is wired shut, so you can't talk ok?" he said

Teddy shook her head and started crying

"No, sweetie please don't cry, you won't be able to breathe if you do. Here try writing on this" he handed her a whiteboard and a marker. She picked up the marker with her left hand and tried to write

"What happened?" read the doctor "Someone hurt you. You have a hairline fracture in your jaw and a broken arm, plus a few broken ribs"

' _I want my dad' she wrote_

"I'll go get him, he's outside ok?"

Teddy nodded and the doctor went to get Frank. They came back in and Teddy rushed to try and sit up again

"Hang on, stay still," Frank told her

Teddy was crying and so was Frank

' _Why are you crying' she wrote_

Frank read the board "Because you scared the hell out of me, baby girl"

Teddy wiped the tears out of his face and hugged him tightly

"Teddy, the police need to ask you some questions if you're up to it" the doctor interrupted

She nodded. The police officer came in and sat next to her

"How are you feeling?" she asked

' _Hurts' she wrote_

"I'm sorry, we're going to get the person who did this. Can you tell me who it was?"

' _No'_

"Do you remember anything at all?"

Teddy shook her head, not trusting her words to keep up the lie

The officer sighed "I'll let you rest. I'll come back later ok?"

Teddy agreed and laid her head back down, closing her eyes and falling back into a deep sleep.

* * *

After another few hours, Teddy woke up and instead of her parents being there it was Billy. He looked restless in his sleep, so she shook him gently, rousing him. He sat up and looked at her

"Hey, you're up," he said

' _Where is everyone?' she wrote_

"They're talking to the cops. Your mom just brought the kids home" he told her

Someone knocked at the door and Frank and the cop from earlier went inside the room.

"Teddy, I have to ask you something," said the cop "Do you know a boy named Owen Murphy?"

Teddy's eyes widened and she nodded

"How do you know him?" the cop asked

' _He was my boyfriend'_

"Was? What happened?"

' _We broke up'_

"When?"

' _Today. Why?'_

"Was he the one that did this to you?"

Teddy didn't answer

"If he did you can tell me. He can't hurt you, he's locked up in the prison ward of the hospital"

Teddy just stared in shock at the woman

' _Why'_

"Someone beat him badly. Not as bad as you're hurt but he's in the hospital"

Teddy nodded and the officer left again, bringing Frank with her. After they left she turned on Billy

' _What did you do?' she wrote_

"I made him pay for this" he answered

' _I told you not to! You can go to jail for this!'_

"I wasn't going to let him get away with it! Because you still won't tell them, so I took care of it" he said harshly

"Go away" Teddy cried, forcing her mouth to speak

"Why because I'm telling the truth? Look at you, Teddy. He put you in a hospital. Next stop is the morgue"

"Please go" she begged

"Tell them"

Teddy grabbed the pillow from under her arm and launched it at Billy

"Go away!" she tried to scream

Frank and a nurse came in at the commotion

"Come on man," said Frank, pulling Billy out while a nurse tried to calm Teddy down. Frank came back in with the officer

"Teddy, baby you need to calm down" Frank tried

Teddy shook her head "I'm sorry" she cried

"Sorry for what?" he asked

She repeated 'i'm sorry' over and over again

"If she doesn't calm down we're going to have to sedate her," the nurse told them trying to prevent Teddy from hyperventilating even more

"He did it," Teddy said

"Who did what Teddy?" asked the officer

"Owen. Did it" she cried

"Owen. Owen was the one who hurt you?"

Teddy nodded and started crying harder "I'm sorry daddy. I'm sorry"

The officer left to go file the report, and the nurse injected a sedative into the IV forcing Teddy back to sleep again.

* * *

Two weeks later the wiring came off and Teddy was allowed to go home. She mostly slept all day, not talking to anyone at all. She felt awful for what happened between her and Billy at the hospital but didn't know how to apologize. She also felt ashamed for the whole situation, which is why she didn't want to see or talk to her parents. But her graduation was fast approaching, then she would be off to Columbia to go to law school. So she waited until her mom had taken her siblings to their soccer practice to talk to her dad.

He was sitting on the couch watching a football game on the tv. She sat on the couch next to him, he turned off the tv and looked at her

"Do you hate me?" she asked bluntly

Frank's face dropped "What? No, I don't hate you"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I don't hate you for what happened, I just wish you said something"

"I know, but I was so scared and he made me feel like I deserved it and it was my fault," she told him with teary eyes

"Come here," he said, pulling her into a tight hug "It wasn't your fault, and you didn't deserve what he did to you"

"I just want to forget it happened," she said

"I know, so do we. That should happen when you get to school"

"I hope so" she whispered

* * *

A few days later Frank left again on deployment, and Teddy graduated high school, going to Columbia that fall. She didn't see Billy before she left, she still didn't know what to say to him. She was at school for a few months, when she got a call from her mom that her father was back and they were planning a trip to the carousel like they always did. Teddy agreed to join them, and the next day the family was together again, laughing and having fun like they used to. None of them thought that it would be their last time together.

Gunshots rang out and Teddy fell to the ground, blood gushing from her upper thigh. She frantically looked around for her siblings but couldn't find them. She heard her dad screaming and tried to go to him, but another shot hit her in the side, immobilizing her. Black spots covered her vision as she laid bleeding out on the ground. When Teddy woke up she was in a hospital room. She tried asking about her family but the doctor wouldn't answer her, instead, he sent in Billy who had been waiting to see if she was ok or not. He walked in with his face full of tears

"Billy?" Teddy croaked

"Teddy, I'm so sorry" he sobbed

It finally dawned on her that her family was all gone and she was now alone. He sat on the bed and pulled her into him and they cried together, mourning the loss of their family.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is another edited and rewritten chapter of Dear Theodosia (Formerly called Knight). I wasn't happy with the way the story was originally written so all chapters are redone, some of them with only minor changes. I also changed the name to 'Dear Theodosia' after the song from Hamilton, which I think fits well with what I actually want from this story. Read it and let me know what you think.**

 _ **Now:**_

Teddy walked out of the hospital, pulling her sweater over her shoulders. She looked around for a moment before starting to walk down the street. Her car had broken down for the fifth time that week and she didn't have the money to fix it, so she was stuck trying to walk back to her apartment at two o'clock in the morning. The heat was killing her but the discomfort of having to walk alone so late made her keep wrapping the sweater tighter against herself. After a twenty-minute speed walk, she finally made it into her apartment, pulling another late rent notice off of the door. She made a quick call to Matt to let him know she was home safely, then dove into her bed, falling into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning she woke up covered in sweat from a mix of the heat and another nightmare. She peeled herself off of the sheets and went into the shower, blasting the cold water. While she was finishing washing her hair, she heard her phone begin to ring. She grabbed her towel and jogged to where her phone was, jumping onto the bed in a sitting position

"Hello?" she answered

" _Theo, it's Liz, you think you can come in today? We're swamped"_

"Yeah, I can be there in an hour or so"

" _Great! Thanks, I'll see you then"_

Teddy hung up and sighed, that day was her only day off but she needed the extra cash so she wouldn't get evicted again. She got dressed and left the apartment, planning on grabbing coffee for Matt and Foggy so she could see them at least once before she has to go back to working constantly. The walk to the coffee shop was short and before she knew it, she was walking into Nelson & Murdock with a tray balancing four coffees.

"Wow, there is a lot of people here" she exclaimed as she tried to maneuver around people

"Theo, my hero!" Foggy cheered

"Yeah, yeah, coffee for all" she replied

Foggy took a cup for himself and passed one to Karen, Teddy walking over to Matt and handing him a cup

"Hey, Teddy" he greeted with a kiss

"Hi Matt" she smiled, her heartbeat picking up more than it usually did when she was around him

"Everything ok?"

Theo moved them further into the office, closing the door behind her

"Teddy, what's going on?" he questioned, bringing his hand to her face

She put her hand over his "Please don't get mad"

"How can I get mad at you?"

"I have to go into work"

"What? I thought you were supposed to have today off, you worked more than 90 hours already in the past four days"

"I know, but Liz called me and they're swamped and I really need the money"

Matt sighed "Did you think about what we talked about?"

"Yeah, and…"

"And?"

"Are you sure?"

"Teddy, we've been dating for over a year. I'm more than sure"

"Then the answer is yes"

Matt smiled and pulled her in for another kiss, chuckling about her rapid heartbeat. Karen opened the door, causing them to break away quickly

"Oh!" she exclaimed "Um, I'm sorry"

"It's alright, what do you need Karen?"

"Uh, Miss Jacinto's working paper's got denied for the third time and-"

"Yeah, I'll help her." Matt stopped her. Karen stepped back out of the office

"I should get going. I'll try and work out another day off to move my stuff in" Teddy said

"You mean the rest of your stuff" Matt teased

"Ha-ha"

"Let me know what they say when you come home tonight, maybe we can get Foggy to help"

"Yeah, unless I see you before I get home"

Matt nodded and they kissed again

"I love you" Matt called as she left the office

"I love you too" she replied, waving goodbye to Foggy and Karen

"Miss Jacinto, let's see what we can do for you" Matt called to the young girl waiting

* * *

Teddy was staring at the clock, counting down the last six minutes until she could leave. She was only half paying attention when Karen came up to her at the desk looking frazzled

"Theo" Karen called out

"Hey, what's going on?" Teddy asked

"New client, he passed out and we had to admit him" she answered

"Where's Matt and Foggy?"

"Trying to figure out what happened to him"

"You need me to stick around?"

"When do you get off?"

"Three minutes"

"No. No, you should go home"

"It's fine Karen. Matt's probably working all night anyway. We can keep each other company"

"How's that going? You and Matt"

"Great. We're actually moving in together, like officially since we sort of already live together"

"That's...great"

"I'm going to punch out and grab my bag. What room are you in?"

"413"

Teddy nodded and went to get her bag, calling Foggy

" _Theo, hey, uh, Matt's not with me right now" Foggy greeted_

"I figured. I'm with Karen and she told me you two were trying to get information and because I know our dear sweet Matt so well, I figured he went out"

" _I'm sorry Theo"_

"No need to apologize Foggy. I never had any idea of him stopping, I just don't want him to get hurt"

" _Me either, Theo. Me either"_

There was a moment of silence on both ends of the phone

"Foggy, before I go meet with Karen, can I ask you something?"

" _Sure. What's up?"_

"Should I be worried? About Karen and Matt?"

" _No way! Matt loves you, you don't have to worry about anything"_

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks Fog. I know I sound a little crazy, but...nevermind. Thanks"

" _No problem Theo. I'll see you later"_

"Later"

She hung up and grabbed her stuff, heading back to where Karen told her she would be. The man in the bed being asleep and Karen being almost there when she walked in. She took a seat in the spare chair and pulled out a book from her purse.

Several hours later, she let out a deep exhale and put the book away, standing up and stretching her limbs

"You hungry?" she asked Karen

"Coffee would be nice" she answered

Tedd nodded and grabbed out her wallet, hearing distant screams from the hallway. Karen sat up and looked at the door, the man, whose name she learned was Grotto, sat straight up in the bed

"Oh God" he muttered

"What was that?" Karen questioned

Grotto began repeating the word no, along with a few swears "Someone's coming to finish the job"

"Just shh, don't move," Karen told him, moving quietly toward the door

"To hell with that" he exclaimed, trying to rip the wires off of him

Teddy went to him, helping him pull out the IV and EKG wires.

Suddenly, Karen pulled back, swearing and reaching with one arm for her purse and for Grotto with the other arm

"Come on, come on, we gotta go!" she told them

They ran down the hall, gunshots being fired, barely missing them as they ducked and weaved through the halls. Finally, as they turned a corner to go down the fire exit, Teddy had enough courage to turn and look at the shooter. She saw his face cast in shadow, but her eyes didn't believe what they were seeing. It couldn't be him, not after all this time. Everyone told her he was dead. She froze for a moment, her eyes focused on the gun aiming in her direction before Karen pulled her into the stairwell and down the stairs. Once they got outside, Teddy separated from Karen and Grotto, going around another part of the building and running until she couldn't breathe anymore. After she was able to catch her breath, she began walking slowly back to she and Matt's shared apartment, her mind going a hundred miles per hour thinking of what had just happened and the face of the man with the gun. It wasn't like her to freeze up like that, but when she saw that man's face, she could have sworn it was her father, wearing the same expression he would wear when he'd check on them in the middle of the night after one of his nightmares.

* * *

After a while, she finally made it home, leaving quick messages for Matt and Foggy to let them know she was ok. She ran herself a bath, sitting in the warm water, letting herself remember her family.

 _ **She was nine, Lisa was two and her mom was due with Frankie any day. There was a thunderstorm going on and it wasn't helping Teddy sleep at all. She heard someone moving down the hall, then a clap of thunder, making her squeal and cover her face with the blanket. Her bedroom door opened and she peeked out from the blanket, seeing her father standing in the doorway, his face covered in the shadow from the canopy by her nightlight, but she could still see the expression on his face, fear and anger masked by relief.**_

" _ **Teddy?" he called "Why are you still up?"**_

" _ **I don't like it" she replied**_

" _ **What? The thunder?"**_

 _ **She nodded**_

 _ **He smiled softly and stuck his hand out to her "Come on"**_

" _ **Where we going?"**_

" _ **To mommy and daddy's bed Teddybear. The thunder can't get you there"**_

 _ **She took his hand and allowed him to lift her up and carry her to the other room, putting her down on the bed, where she crawled under the covers next to her mother. Her dad got on the other side of her, letting her grip his hand like she usually did**_

" _ **No monsters?" she asked in a quiet voice**_

" _ **No monsters. Daddy won't let them get you or your brother and sister" he answered**_

" _ **Ever?"**_

" _ **Ever" he kissed her forehead "Now go to sleep"**_

 _ **Within minutes she was asleep, holding her father's hand as tightly as she could.**_

Teddy snapped out of the memory and wiped the tears that were streaking down her face. She got out of the tub and dried herself off, getting into bed and laying awake, waiting for Matt.

* * *

" _Damn_ ," Frank thought to himself. He was certain that he had gotten all of the people inside when he sprayed the building but that little weasel called Grotto got out and got away. He sighed angrily knowing that he would have to track him down and finish the job.

No loose ends, no mercy.

He got his weapons ready and stashed them on a rooftop before opening his laptop and entering in the hospital databases, searching for any recent patients matching Grotto's description being admitted. It was several hours before he found what he was looking for, a man matching Grotto's description at Metro General under that name Steve Schaffer. He grabbed his shotgun and Glock, making sure he had extra ammo, then headed to the hospital.

* * *

He already knew what room he was going to, so he slipped in a side door and walked up the stairs, hiding his gun in his coat. No one had noticed him walking through the halls with the gun, at least until he got closer to Grotto's room and held the gun to fire. Nurse and doctors began screaming and running away from him. The door to Grotto's room opened and out ran a blonde girl, Grotto, and another brunette girl. He aimed at Grotto and fired, trying not to hit either of the women and missed instead hitting a wall. He fired twice more, following them up and down the halls. They started going down the fire exit staircase when the brunette turned to look at him. He had his gun raised and ready to fire when he met her eyes and nearly dropped his gun, his breath escaping him.

 _Teddy._

He knew it was impossible. Just another hallucination.

The blonde pulled her along and down the stairs, taking Grotto with them. He swore and ran to go up the stairs to the roof where he could still get him if he tried to take off in a car. He stood on the roof and took aim at the speeding car, seeing Grotto in the passenger mirror through his scope and blowing it out with the shot, then he pulled the trigger again and shattered the back window. He put the gun down and watched the car as it sped away. Frank knew he was losing it and kept trying to convince himself that all it was, was hallucinations and his mind playing tricks on him. Teddy was dead. She was dead, he watched her die. Then that idiot nurse even told him that Frank was alone, everyone else was dead. He squeezed his eyes shut and hit his hand against his head in an attempt to make the images of his daughter go away. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes again and took several deep breaths ready to hunt down Grotto again. He followed the car down a few blocks and took aim again, having Grotto's head in his line of fire. He released a slow breath and moved his finger onto the trigger but stopped and turned his head when he heard running footsteps next to him. When he turned he was met with a kick to the neck, knocking him down.

He attempted to shoot his assailant but they dodged every shot and kept kicking him, knocking him back to the ground. He managed to get up and the two wrestled for the gun Frank had in his hands, Frank managing to hit him a few times with his elbow. When the other man flipped him Frank was able to see who his opponent was. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen in the flesh. Frank got up again and the two exchanged punches and other blows, Daredevil getting the upper hand on Frank because he just kept hitting him and didn't stop, switching between punches and high flying kicks. Finally Frank was able to grab hold of the Devil's helmet and hit him with a headbutt as hard as he could, then punching him and tossing him to the ground. He picked him up and hung him over the edge of the building, punching him several more times. He threw the Daredevil to the side and walked up the stairs to the other part of the roof, walking quickly since he knew that he was going to be followed. Just as he rounded another corner he heard a shout, he spun around and swung, catching Daredevil in the gut then following through with a hard kick sending him into the metal wall of the roof. Daredevil grabbed him and they hit at each other and slammed one another against the wall until Frank picked him up and body slammed him into the ground. The Devil got up and kicked Frank in the face, dodging Franks wild swings and kicking off the wall, slamming Frank face first into it. He kept punching Frank until he kicked him down. Frank had enough of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, pulling a spare gun he had in his boot and aiming it right at the Devil's face. Both men stood panting heavily, blood running from Frank's nose

"Bang," Frank said, firing a single shot into the Daredevil's head knocking him onto the lower part of the roof.

Frank stood and wiped the blood from his face, still panting. He turned and walked away leaving the roof. He went back to his hotel room, stripping off his dirty clothes and hopping in the shower washing the blood and sweat off of himself. He let the water run over himself, his mind still too caught up in the brunette that was with Grotto. She looked so much like his oldest child but his rational side reminded him that it was impossible that the woman was Teddy because she was dead. But he wondered if maybe Teddy's birth parents had another child, one that looked similar to Teddy herself. He didn't know much about her birth parents, just whatever was in the file at children's services, so he supposed that it was possible and fate was being cruel enough to put this girl in his path to mess with his head even more. He got out of the shower and put on a pair of sweatpants and decided to try and sleep while he could, so he could track down Grotto the next day.

 **A/N: R &R, please! **


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Foggy came bursting through the apartment door, carrying a barely conscious Matt

"Theo!" he yelled "Theo!"

Teddy came running out of the bedroom, gasping when she saw Foggy putting Matt on the couch "Oh my God!"

"Help me" Foggy pleaded

She ran over to the couch and helped Foggy take off the uniform, leaving Matt in his boxers. They laid the uniform out on the floor and Foggy went into the kitchen, getting a wet towel for Teddy to clean up the blood on Matts' face.

"What happened?" she asked

"Somebody shot him in the head. I think it was the same guy that shot up the hospital" Foggy answered

Teddy frowned, starting to cry while stroking Matt's knuckles with her thumb.

"Theo…" Foggy started, trying to find words to comfort her

She let Matt's hand go and sat in one of the armchairs, bringing her legs up to her chest "Don't Foggy. He went too far this time. If anything happened to him-" she broke off, sobbing harder than before.

* * *

For the next few hours, Matt was in and out of consciousness, asking about Teddy and Karen before going back out. Teddy ended up cleaning the blood off of his face and gave the towel to Foggy to toss in the sink, going back into the armchair since she couldn't stop crying. Matt was stirring awake, hearing Foggy in the kitchen.

"Hey, Foggy, can I get some aspirin?" He asked

Foggy sighed "You sure you don't want an x-ray? Or a psych eval?"

"Aspirin's fine"

Foggy poured a glass of water and Teddy went to get the aspirin from the shelf

"You got shot in the head, you're lucky you're not in the morgue" he snapped

"It was just a dumb mistake, man" Matt chuckled

"Just a dumb mistake?" Teddy yelled, her voice shaky "You could've died! You could've gotten killed and I...I...I can't" she handed the pills to Foggy and went into the bedroom.

Matt looked confused and upset. He hated when Teddy cried and never meant to be the reason she did it.

"She hasn't stopped crying since I brought you home. She was terrified you were going to die" Foggy told him

"I didn't mean to…" he broke off with a sigh "I should've seen it"

"What?"

"The gun on his ankle. I should've heard it, you know. Should've felt it"

"Are you serious?"

Matt groaned and tried to reposition himself on the couch "Yeah, but he's fast this guy. He's trained"

"He's a lunatic, Matt. I went to the hospital, I saw what he did, Theo was there during the attack and she saw what he did."

"What happened to Karen?"

"We've been through this"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Is she ok?"

"She got Grotto to the NYPD. We're going to meet there and make a deal with the DA"

Foggy finally handed him the pills, setting the glass of water on the table in front of him

"Thanks, buddy," Matt says "Let me put on some pants, then we can go"

"No" Foggy interrupts

"It's ok. I know we need to get going" Matt continued

"No, 'We' don't need to do anything!"

"Foggy, I don't want to do this right now"

"Karen is safe, Theo is safe, you're safe. And our client will be safe within the hour. It's all taken care of"

"Except the shooter. He's still walking the streets of Hell's Kitchen"

"He's the cops' problem now"

"He's going to plow right through the cops!"

Teddy walked back into the living room, leaning against the wall and looking from Matt to Foggy. Her eyes were rimmed red and glassy and it made Foggy frown, wishing Matt could see her face because then he knew he'd stop.

"I know what you're doing" Foggy argued

"You saw what he did to the Irish, but you didn't see what he did to the Mexican Cartel. He hung them on meat hooks and left them to die"

"You want another round"

"Blood is being shed Foggy!"

"And you've donated more than your fair share to the cause!"

"I need to stop him"

"You need to get rest. Ok? If not for yourself then do it for her"

Matt looked in Teddy's direction

"And when you wake up, you need to consider putting that thing back in whatever wacko box it came from. Better yet," Foggy continued, reaching for the Daredevil uniform.

Matt launched forward and grabbed the uniform, holding onto it at the same time as Foggy

"Let go" Matt whispered

"You first" Foggy replied

They stood still for a second before Matt yanked the costume away from his friend, Teddy taking a few steps further into the room,

"I don't want to do this again" stated Foggy

"Then don't" replied Matt

"Do you know what would've happened if someone caught us stumbling home? You wearing that thing?"

"I appreciate it, Foggy. You taking care of me"

"You should"

"But when the cops try to take this guy down, it's going to be one hell of a fight. Lives are going to be lost. This guy's not going to go down easy and I need to help"

Foggy sighed "You look like shit. Stay here, get rest. We don't need people asking questions we don't have answers to. I've covered for you enough as it is. And for now...let the NYPD and the DA do their jobs and trust me to do mine! Ok?"

Matt didn't respond, so Foggy turned around and left the apartment, giving Teddy a look as he went out the door.

Teddy went to get the cloth she used earlier and wet it while Matt sat in the armchair. She walked over to him and started to clean off the blood as gently as she could

"You have blood on your face again" she whispered

"You think I need stitches?" he asked

"You should be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid" she answered

"Teddy, I know you're mad at me" he began, his hand resting on her hip

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just...you scared the hell out of me!" she exclaimed, cleaning the last of the blood from his face and throwing the towel onto the table

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or scare you"

"Matt, I love you. If anything happened to you...if you got killed…I'd never be able to take it. I lost everyone that I ever loved, I can't lose you too" she cried

"Come here," he said lowly, grabbing her hand and pulling her so that she was curled in his lap, her head resting against his chest. "I'm not going anywhere, ok? You will never lose me. I love you"

"That's not true, is it? You're going to go after him again tonight"

"Teddy, I have to. More people will die if I don't"

"I don't want to fight about this. Just, please come back to me"

"Always"

After staying in the chair together for a bit, Teddy pulled Matt up to go into their bedroom. Assuming he had a concussion, she set an alarm for every few hours to make sure he didn't get worse. He changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, and the pair went to bed.

* * *

Matt was barely asleep for a half an hour before he woke up, grabbing his now empty glass of water and going to fill it, careful not to wake Teddy, who was looking a bit restless in her sleep. He walked into the kitchen and turned on the tap, flinching when a sudden high pitched noise rang in his ears. He turned off the faucet and the ringing stopped, making him groan slightly. Assuming it was just a headache, he went over to the shelf where he kept the aspirin and reached for the bottle, leaving the glass on the dresser. He opened up the bottle and poured it out on the dresser, the four pills hitting against the wood loud enough to make him wince. While pulling the bottle back from pouring the pills out he accidentally knocked over the glass of water, trying to catch it but missing, the glass shattering on the floor. Matt didn't hear the glass break, but it woke Teddy up, she launched into a sitting position and looked around, her tired brain not registering where Matt had gone. She heard him stumbling around, then the unmistakable sound of his screams.

She ran into the living room, seeing Matt sitting against the wall, screaming and hitting his hand against the brick, a steady stream of blood going from his nose. She ran to him and dropped to her knees, grabbing his face

"Teddy? Teddy?" he cried loudly

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here" she said gently stroking his cheek with her thumb and bringing her other hand down his arm until she grabbed his hand

"I can't hear. I can't hear" he repeated

"It's ok. I got you" she whispered, sitting next to him and pulling him close. They stayed like that for some time, Matt laying against Teddy while she held him tight and rubbed the back of his head. Teddy heard someone knocking at the door and Matt started twisting around, snapping his fingers

"Matt?" she questioned

"I can hear" he answered, breathing a sigh of relief

"Thank God. Go clean up your face, I'll get the door," she told him, kissing his cheek

He smiled and got up, going to the kitchen sink to wash his face. Teddy went to open the door and saw Karen on the other side

"Theo, hey" she greeted

"Hey, Karen. How are you?" Teddy replied

"I'm fine" Karen began "No, no I'm not actually, I'm barely hanging on. I don't enjoy being used for target practice"

"Come in"

"You sure?"

"Yeah"

Karen entered the apartment and closed the door behind her, the two women going into the living room, where Matt was.

"Hey, I heard what happened," he said, bringing her in for a hug "Glad you're ok"

"Thanks," Karen told him "How about you two?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Matt answered

Teddy was cleaning up the glass from the floor "I'll be ok. I take it you guys need to talk shop, so I'll be in the other room"

She went back into the bedroom and stared out the window until she heard the door slam, Matt coming into the bedroom a minute later

"Are you leaving?" she asked him

"I have to" he answered

She went up to him and kissed him deeply "Be careful. I love you"

"I love you," he told her, kissing her again.

Instead of leaving to see Melvin and get his helmet fixed, he deepened their kiss, pushing her onto their bed, where he made love to her for several hours. When he finally did leave her, she was sleeping soundly, which made him feel a bit better about going.

* * *

Somehow, Matt ended up in The Punisher's compound. Going past the barking dog and toward the police scanner, where he heard Gotto's name and started piecing together that he was being used as bait to lure out The Punisher. He swore and ran out of the apartment, heading back to Melvin's for his fixed helmet, then he put on his suit and headed out to the meeting point.

* * *

xx

* * *

Watching the cops go after the truck he set up as a diversion, Frank stood at the top of a water tower with his sniper rifle, staring out the scope, looking for Grotto. After spotting him through the scope, Frank went to pull the trigger, but before he could, he heard a metal clang and a thud near his feet. He looked down and saw a can of tear gas

"Shit" he stated, he turned to run but was stopped with a flying kick to the chest, knocking him off the tower.

Daredevil jumped after him while the police fired shots at them. Frank reached for his gun, but Daredevil threw his staff, knocking it from his hands before having it land in his hands again. The two fought once again, Daredevil exchanging blows with his staff and Frank trying to block and use his fists, the rain making it a bit difficult to see. Frank was finally able to get the staff away from Daredevil as he did a backflip away from Frank. He kicked him in the gut and hit him with the staff, knocking him down. Daredevil got up again and the two were once again swinging at each other, while police began to fire at them again. Frank ducked a bit to avoid the bullets, then he hit Daredevil in the head with his staff and dove to the other side of the roof, Daredevil chasing after him and hitting the back of his head. Frank got up and with a roar, charged at the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, trying to punch him but getting his arm caught, which he then headbutted the 'hero', landing a few good hits in before being roundhouse kicked in the face, dropping the staff. While he was on the ground recovering from the kick, one of the officers' bullets struck him in the arm. He grabbed the wound and staggered to his feet, only to be caught in a flying tackle. Quickly, he got back to his feet and was once again was going hand to hand with Daredevil, trying to block but catching multiple hits to the face. He grabbed the costumed man by the throat and choke-slammed him into the glass windows on the roof, both men falling inside.

Frank started trying to lift himself up, panting, glass falling off of his back and head. He looked across the room and saw Daredevil also trying to get up from the floor. Once both men were back on their feet, Frank circled him, holding his wounded arm while Daredevil smiled at him. As he circled, Frank noticed that some of the noise he was making was making the Devil disoriented, groaning and facing the wrong direction with his fists up. He started making his way toward the Devil, a plan formulating in his head.

* * *

xx

* * *

When Foggy finally made it through the crowd of cops, he looked down into the building, seeing broken glass and blood on the ground

"Ground floor clear!" shouted one of the officers

A sick feeling grew in his stomach, not knowing where Matt had gone or if he was severely hurt or not. He was also worried about how was he going to explain to Theo that Matt was missing, possibly hurt, and probably with The Punisher.


	6. Chapter 6

After a while, Matt woke up, disoriented, realizing quickly that he was chained to something, hearing the chains rattle every time he moved.

"No, no" he repeated, moving around to try and figure out where he was.

Frank sat nearby, opening a thermos, pouring himself a drink and watching the Devil of Hell's Kitchen squirm underneath the chains.

"Morning sunshine," he told him, sipping his coffee.

While Daredevil kept moving around, Frank put the thermos away and grabbed a sewing needle and some thread, stitching shut the wound from the bullet he took.

"They say you don't hear the bullet that gets you. Always thought that sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me" he explained as he stitched "How bout you Red? When I cracked off your forehead the other night...did you hear that?"

He was still for a moment before fighting the chains again, kicking and trying to pull upward to break them.

Frank sighed and Matt let out a frustrated yell

"You can bash against the chains all night. Only way you get out of here, only way you walk free is if I want you to. Know that."

"Why didn't you take my mask off?" Red asked him

"Don't give a shit about who you are" Frank answered with a shrug

"You killed everyone else. Why am I still alive?"

Frank cut the thread with his knife

"Huh? I got in your way twice now...and you don't strike me as someone who lets that happen"

Frank didn't respond again, going over to some crates and lifting the tarp he was using to cover them

"Military grade hardware. You seemed to know your way around it." Daredevil said

With a loud exhale, Frank popped open one of the crates

"And you sure carry yourself like a soldier"

Frank just kept moving, grabbing the contents of the crate and walking to the edge of the roof, looking out into the distance

"What are you gonna do with all this?"

"I'll do what's required" he finally responded, opening the thermos again and pouring himself another cup

"Is this another one of your missions? That's why we're here isn't it?"

Frank kicked open the case and sat with his back to the edge of the roof

"How many does this make?" Matt kept asking Frank

Now slightly annoyed, Frank tossed the rest of his coffee out of the cup and closed the thermos

"I'm guessing you've done this, what...ten, maybe twenty times? How long's it been?"

Sighing, Frank sat forward and began to assemble the gun in the case

"Six months, a year, or your whole life? Something tells me you don't take breaks. You know, no one else has to die. You could stop now, walk away"

"Walk away?" Frank repeated, finally stopping putting the gun together "Could you do that? Could you walk away?" getting no answer, he sighed and picked up the gun "Yeah"

Hearing church bells in the distance, Matt counted "What is that? Midnight?"

"St. Matthews" Frank answered

"You a Catholic?" he scoffed

Removing another tarp, Frank knelt down and looked at his captive, then back to what he was doing "Once"

"From New York?"

' _ **Another lifetime ago' Frank thought to himself,**_ "Once"

"You still go to mass?"

"Stop now, Red"

"Stop?"

"Stop digging"

Matt nodded slowly "You know, a funny thing about New York...few people are actually from here. The ones who are..they don't leave. They can't, they, uh, they feel like the city's apart of them. You know? Until one day, something changes. Maybe they got older. And then they have to leave, they have to get out. See the world, maybe. Maybe they enlist? Where'd they send you?"

Frank made a face "You a shrink, Red?"

Matt didn't reply

"Come on," Frank mocked "You must be something when you're not wearing the long johns, right?"

"I'm just a guy"

"Yeah? You ever been to war?"

"No"

"Then don't talk about it"

"I've seen some fights"

"I'm sure you have"

"Well, I almost had you beat"

"You talk about trading hands on a rooftop, Red. I'm talking about shit, Ok? Shit that you ain't been in"

"I know one thing"

"What's that?"

"War changes people. Sometimes they see things they can't unsee. Come home to find home's not there anymore. It changed"

Frank sighed

"Or maybe they did"

"Yeah, fair enough"

"I'm just saying, I know it can be hard"

"Do you? You know it can be hard? You run around this city in a pair of little boy's pajamas and a mask. You go home at night, right? Take that mask off, maybe you think...it wasn't you who did those things, maybe it was somebody else. Well, see, soldiers...we don't wear masks, yeah? We don't get that privilege."

"I know it can be hard because I've seen it"

"Oh, you've seen it?"

"Yeah. Someone I know...she saw something horrible happen to her family, almost died. She made it out alive though. But she was never the same afterward. She couldn't be. And you know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"You're still at war"

"Oh, for crying out loud. So, you charge by the hour, doc, or what?"

"Why am I here?"

Messing with the gun again, Frank looked at him "Everything you do out there in the streets, Red, it doesn't work. Did you know that?"

"Oh, and what you're doing is better?" Matt questioned in disbelief

"What I do, I just do. It's out of necessity" he answered

"Come on" Matt scoffed "You know you're not the only one, right? Who did you lose? Huh? Was it someone you loved? Well, boo-hoo. Let me tell you something, buddy, everybody's lost someone, it doesn't mean you get to do this"

' _ **I lost everyone' Frank thought, growing angry.**_ "Well, loss doesn't work the same way for everybody, Red"

"Yeah, it's clearly not working for you"

"Maybe not. We don't get to pick the things that fix us, Red. Make us whole. Make us feel purpose. My moment of clarity? It came from the strangest of places. What kind of name is 'The Devil of Hell's Kitchen' anyway? I mean really?"

"I didn't ask for that name"

"I'm sorry, I don't see you running from it"

"I don't do this to hurt people"  
"Yeah, so what is that, just a job perk?"

"I don't kill anyone"

"Is that why you think you're better than me?"

"No"

"Is that why you think you're a big hero?"

"It doesn't matter what I think or what I am. People don't have to die!"

"Come on, Red. You believe that?"

"I believe it's not my call and it ain't yours either"

"Somebody ask you to put on that costume, or you take it upon yourself? You know what I think of you, hero?" Frank asked, getting up and striding over to Matt, kneeling in front of him "I think you're a half-measure. I think you're a man who can't finish the job. I think that you're a coward. You know the one thing that you just can't see? You know you're one bad day away from being me"

"Yeah" Matt heard the sound of keys jingling and a door unlocking, quickly dropping his voice "Someone's coming"

"Shit" Frank said mockingly "Guess I'd better make a run for it"

"Hey, don't hurt him" Matt pleaded

"Yeah? Let's hope he doesn't give me a reason to"

"What's all that noise?" an old man yelled, "If it's you damned kids again, I swear I'm calling the cops!"

"I'll say this once, Red" Frank warned "You make one sound and I'll open up his head all over this roof"

He then got up and went over to the door, where an old man was shining a flashlight around. He stuck his head out from behind the door, startling the old man and making him drop the flashlight.

"Who the hell are you?" the old man asked, snatching up the flashlight

"Frank" Frank chuckled

"What are you doing up here, Frank?"

"Well, the truth is, um, I'm pretty sure that this here roof, right here, this is the, uh...the last patch of real estate in the entire goddamn United States where a man can just have a little peace, be by himself, and…" he took a deep inhale "Have a smoke"

"Never seen you around," the old man said suspiciously

"Yeah, no. I'm, uh, in town just visiting my crazy sister"

"Betty in 2B?"

Frank laughed "I see you've had the pleasure"

"Can't say I blame you"

"Nah"

"My wife's the same, made me quit a long time ago"

"You know what they say...it's for our health"

While Frank talked to the old man, Matt tried again to break free of the chains

"What about the enjoyment of life?" he asked Frank

"Guess they'll worry about that when they're dead"

Hearing the chains rattle, the old man's face turned serious "What was that?"

"Ah, just...just a rat" Frank responded, holding up his gun to the door and pulling the hammer back

"We exterminated"

"Lot's of guys...they half-ass it. Remember my uncle used to tell me that all the time. He fumigated"

"Hard work"

"Yeah, it's all he could get after the war. You know, curse of a soldier"

"Ain't that the truth"

"Yeah. You serve?"

"'Nam, 3d Marine division"

"Fighting 3d, huh?"

"Goddamn right. You?"  
"Yeah, yeah. Iraq, Afganistan"

The old man nodded approvingly "Welcome home"

"Thank you, sir," Frank said politely

"I gotta go down right now, but you...you smoke as much as you like, son"

Frank chuckled "Thank you, sir. All right"

"All right, son"

The old man began to walk down the stairs and Frank uncocked the gun "Hey, Marine!"

He turned back and looked at Frank "Yeah?"

"Semper Fi"

The old man hit his fist against his heart and pointed at Frank, both men chuckling.

* * *

"Frank" Matt called "Is that your real name? You get off threatening innocent people?"

Frank threw something down on the ground "He was only in danger because you squealed...because you couldn't follow orders"

"You had a gun on him and you thumbed back the hammer"

"Yeah, well, that was for you. Part of the show"

Matt laughed "What does that mean?"

"I really have to spell it out for you, Red? Huh? I'm disappointed. Listen carefully, ok?" he pulled out his gun "You listening? Yeah?" he cocked the gun and aimed it at Daredevils head "How 'bout now? You listening? Feel it?"

Matt jerked his head to the side and Frank finally moved the gun

"I'm not a bad guy, Red"

"You wanna explain that to the orphans and the widows of the men you killed?"

"For Christ's sake, that's what you think? I'm just some crazy asshole going around unloading on whoever I want to?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I think"

"That it?"

"You think you're anything else?"

Frank started climbing the ladder to the billboard "I think that the people I kill need killing, that's what I think"

"You left men hanging from meat hooks!"

"They got off easy, in my opinion"

"You shot up a hospital"

"Yeah, and nobody got hurt who didn't deserve it"

"Oh, yeah? What about you, Frank? What happens the day someone decides you deserve it?"

"I'll tell you what, they better not miss"

"Come on, you run around this city like it's your damn shooting gallery. You think you do-"

"Yeah, what do you do? What do you do?" Frank yelled, cutting him off "You act like it's a playground. You beat up the bullies with your fists. You throw 'em in jail, everybody calls you a hero, right? And then a month, a week, a day later, they're back on the streets doing the same goddamn thing"

"Yeah, so you just put 'em in the morgue"

"You're goddamn right I do"

"You ever doubt yourself, Frank?"

"Not even for a second"

"Really? Really? You never think for one second, 'Shit, I just killed a human being'"

"That's being pretty generous"

"A human being who did a lot of stupid shit, maybe even evil, but had one small piece of goodness in him. Maybe just a scrap, Frank, but something. And then you come along, and that one tiny flicker of light gets snuffed out forever"

Frank came off the billboard and kicked a few things over, sitting in front of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, holding a wrench "I think you're wrong"

"Which part?"

"All of it. I think there's no good in the filth that I put down, that's what I think"

"And how do you know?"

"I just know. Look around, Red. This city, it stinks. It's a sewer. It stinks and it smells like shit and I can't get the stink out of my nose. I think that this world, it needs men that are willing to make the hard call"

"That's bullshit, Frank, and you know it!" Matt yelled at the same time Frank was yelling

"I think you and me are the same!" he shouted "Only I do the one thing you can't. You hit 'em and they get back up. I hit 'em and they stay down. It's permanent. I make sure that they don't make it out on the streets again. I take pride in that!"

"Let me ask you something"

"What's that?"

"What about hope?"

"Oh, fuck. You wanna talk about Santa Clause?"

"I live in the real world too, and I've seen it"

"Yeah? What have you seen?"

"Redemption, Frank, it's real and it's possible. The people you murder deserve another chance"

"What, to kill again? Rape again? Is that what you want?"

"No, Frank. To try again, Frank. To try. And if you don't get that, then there's something broken in you that you can't fix and you really are a nutjob"

Frank stood slowly "What did you say?"

"You're...you're unhinged, Frank. You think God made you a one-man firing squad, but you're wrong. There is goodness in people, even in you. And you're going to have to kill me, cause I'm never going to stop coming for you until I take you down. You wanna know why?"

"Why's that?"

"Because you're insane"

Frank laughed and flipped the wrench, then hit Matt in the face, knocking him out again.

* * *

When Matt woke up again, he found that he had a gun attached to his hand

".357, one round in the chamber," Frank told him "Some things, they just...they feel right in your hand, huh? I know what you're thinking, Red. You could put a round in my arm, my leg, but it's not gonna work, 'cause I'm all geared up. Only way you stop me is with a headshot"

"I'm not going to shoot you" Matt stated

"Nope. Not yet, you're not."

He went over to the entrance and opened the door, then came back out with Grotto tied up, tossing him to the ground

"Time to put a face to all your fancy talk about redemption. Elliot Grote AKA Grotto"

"I don't want to die" stuttered Grotto

"What did you do to him?" Matt shouted

"I caught this piece of shit stealing a car, trying to skip town" Frank answered

"I was scared. I'm sorry, I was running for my life" said Grotto

"Shut up!" ordered Frank with a kick to the gut

"Stop it, Frank. He doesn't deserve to die, just cause you caught him stealing cars"

"Is that what you think?"

"It's up to the law! Not me and not you!"

"Why don't you tell him a little bit about yourself?" Frank suggested to Grotto

"You have no right to do this!" Matt yelled

"I'm nothing. I'm just nobody" replied Grotto

"Oh, yeah? That all?" Frank said maliciously

"I pour their drinks. I drive their cars"

"You were doing more than that a few months ago," He said, punching Grotto in the face

"What are you trying to prove, Frank?" Matt demanded

"You're trying to step up" Frank continued, ignoring Daredevil

"No" Grotto stammered "Who are you?"

"Lafayette Street, second floor. Why don't you tell him what happened?"

"Please, I'm sorry-"

Grotto was hit again "You tell him now"

"Frank, I'm not going to shoot you, Frank" Matt told him as he beat Grotto

"Nothing happened, I'm sorry" Grotto swore

Frank pulled his gun and aimed it at the criminal "I'm only going to ask you one more time"

"I didn't know it was an address. This guy, I didn't even know his name" Grotto began to ramble "He...he got wobbly with the wrong people, owed something to somebody, cause the order came from on high"

"What orders?"

"The sort you can't say no to"

"Say the words! You say it, do you hear me?"

"You don't understand these animals. You can't back out, you can't-"

"Just shut up! Stop talking Grotto!" Matt shouted to him

"You say it!" Frank ordered with another punch, he put his foot on Grotto's throat and pressed "I won't ask again. Say the words asshole!"

"I did it, I did it. I killed him!" Grotto admitted "I put two in his head. But I swear to God-"

"Oh, God damn it" breathed Matt

"I...didn't know. I didn't know the old lady was in the house" whimpered Grotto

"What old lady?" Matt inquired "What did you do?"

"I didn't know she was in the house. She wasn't supposed to be in the house. She started screaming, I begged her to stop"

"What did you do?" repeated Matt

"She saw my face. I had no choice"

"Old lady left a husband. The dead man, a wife and kids" Frank told Matt

Matt raised the gun and pointed it at Frank

"You gotta understand me. I had to do it" Grotto tried to reason

Matt lowered the gun in defeat

"You still think this piece of shit is worth saving?" Frank said lowly

"I'm not gonna shoot him"

Frank nodded and whispered 'Ok', grabbing Grotto in a headlock and putting the gun to his head "I will...if you don't kill me first"

Grotto screamed and Matt started struggling against the chains

"I'm losing patience, Red"

Matt raised the gun again "Don't you dare shoot him"

"That's a bad idea. He'll kill again. I can't live with that, can you? Your friend..what if he kills her next? You let him go and he kills her how're you going to feel?"

"She has nothing to do with this, Frank. Why are you doing this?"

"Cause you need to understand that pieces of shit like this ruin people's lives"

"Killing him's not going to bring anybody back"

"No, but it'll keep him from hurting anybody else. I'm going to count down. Five"

Frank raised his gun and put it to Grotto's head again as he begged

"Hey, I'm going to hand him over to the police myself" Matt tried to bargain "I'm going to make sure he pays for what he's done, Frank"

"Four! Three! Take the shot, Red!"

"No!"

"You don't do it, his death's on you. Either way, you're a killer. Two!"

"What kind of choice is that?"

"The kind I make every time I pull the trigger. The kind I'm gonna make right now"

Matt and Grotto both yelled, Matt turning and shooting the chains, freeing himself. He then charged at Frank who roared and pulled the trigger, shooting Grotto in the chest. Matt tackled him against the wall and started punching him with the hand the gun was attached to. After a few minutes, he went to Grotto and tried to lift him to carry him off of the roof, until Grotto told him to put him down. Matt carefully put him down while Frank got up behind him and grabbed his gun, looking through the scope at his aim on the 'Dogs of Hell' clubhouse.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Grotto questioned

"I'm sorry"

Grotto fell silent and Matt turned on his heel, whipping the chain and launching it at Frank just as he let off a shot, the chain wrapping around his neck while Matt pulled him backward. Down below a bike exploded from where Frank had shot, alerting the bikers inside the building. Frank hit him with the butt of the gun, knocking him down. He went back to the edge of the roof and moved the spotlight onto the bikers, raising his gun and taking aim

"One batch, two batch. Penny and dime" he whispered

Before he could shoot, Matt threw the wrench and hit Frank in the head, then used the chain to knock the gun out of his hand and hit him again, wrapping the chain around his neck and bringing him into a choke hold. Frank struggled and gasped

"You're done now, Red. They're coming for you. Only way out of this is if you grow wings"

Matt slammed Franks head against the wall, rendering him unconscious. He picked Frank up and threw him over his shoulder, heading down the back stairwell to the service elevator, putting Frank down in the corner. Just as the elevator was closing the bikers came into the hallway, as did the old man. He stopped the doors from closing and went out into the hallway, using the chain to attack the bikers. He put the gun to one of their heads, demanding they drop their gun and asking if the old man is ok and telling him to get in his apartment and lock the door. After the old man was gone, he went after the other bikers, hitting them with the chain and their own weapons until he took them all down. He then worked his way down the stairwell, beating any and all of the bikers that got in his way.


	7. Chapter 7

"You have information on The Punisher," Karen said to Elliot

"That's classified" he replied

"Do I look like I'm going to post it on YouTube?" she countered "Your boss is threatening to disbar my friends and dismantle our law firm"

"Yeah, my boss is a piece of work...Look, how would the Punisher files, assuming they exist, help you stop that from happening?"

"I'll let you know"

"Unbelievable" Elliot chuckled "So, you expect me to implicate the DA on purpose? Listen very carefully. You cannot come into my office, asking me to betray my boss, throwing around allegations about this department that you cannot substantiate" he put some files into an accordion folder "So, I'm going downstairs to get security. And you will not contact me again. No emails, no phone calls, nothing"

He hands Karen the folder and a separate envelope. She took it from him as he wished her a good night and left the room. She grabbed her bag and the files she brought and left the office, making sure no one was following her.

From Elliot's office, she went back to Nelson & Murdock and went to work on the files she was given, looking at all of the crime scene photos and taking notes. After several hours, she rubbed her tired eyes and picked up the large manilla envelope. On the front, it had a Metro-General hospital logo and the name 'F. Castle' which got her attention

"Castle?" she said to herself "Theo?"

She opened the envelope and pulled out its contents, an x-ray of a skull with a bullet hole in the top left part of it.

"What the hell?"

* * *

Grotto's funeral was set for two days later. Teddy agreeing to meet with everyone after since she didn't get out of work until later that night. If she had gone with them after the funeral, she would have heard what Karen had found in the files she was given and her suspicions of the young nurse.

"This was in the middle of it" Karen continued to explain to her colleagues, "Not someone he shot, him"

"He's insane" replied Foggy "Maybe he shot himself"

"I thought about that, but at that close a range-" she began

"Yeah, he'd be dead already" Matt finished

"Ok, not to go all tin-foil hat here, but what if Tower slipped this to me for a reason? What if Punisher isn't the worst of it? What if Reyes is trying to cover something up?"

"You think that murderous psychopath isn't the worst of it?"

"No. And I think our best bet to protect Nelson & Murdock is to find him"

"How would we even do that?"

Karen looked pensive "I think Theo knows"

"What?" Matt exclaimed

"Look, it's not just the name thing. I mean, what do you really know about her, Matt?" Karen explained

"I know more than enough. Just because she doesn't tell you guys everything about herself, that doesn't mean she hasn't told me. Where is this even coming from?"

"We don't know anything about her! She pops up around the same time we try putting Fisk away, kind of out of nowhere, she knows all this law stuff even though she's a nurse, and why is it that I can't find any record of her until she's seven years old. When I ask her about any of it, she always has some vague answer"

Matt was visibly annoyed "Foggy, can you go into the third drawer on the left in my desk please"

Foggy gave him a strange look, but obliged him, opening the drawer and digging around the papers, producing a small velvet box. He handed it to Matt, who opened it, revealing a small diamond engagement ring.

"The reason you can't find a record for Theodosia Castle before the age of seven is because that was when she was adopted. She knows about law because she was in Columbia law school for a year, but after her family died she couldn't afford it anymore, even with her scholarship, and nursing school was free because she entered a program with Metro-Gen. Before she moved here she moved around a lot with her best friend, but she got married and left the state and Teddy didn't want to follow her. She found her apartment last minute and just moved in" Matt told them "I plan on proposing to her. And I wouldn't do that if I knew next to nothing about her"

No one said anything, the sudden ringing of the phone echoing loudly in the office. Foggy got up and answered the phone, leaving Matt and Karen standing at a stalemate.

"Matt?" she questioned

"Hmm?" he replied

"Never mind I said anything. Punisher is a lunatic"

"But you care anyway"

Karen sighed "I wouldn't say that, it's more like… curious. I mean, between these files and Reyes's obsession and the fact that humans are a pretty complicated species, to begin with...I feel like there's got to be more to the story"

"Maybe there is. But Teddy has nothing to do with it, she would've told me if she knew something"

"You have a lot of faith in her" she commented, "Do you really love her?"

"Yeah. I do"

"Matt!" Foggy called "We have real, live, non-criminal clients who need our help"

Matt got up and went over to Foggy. After he left, Karen grabbed the Punisher files and slipped out of the office.

* * *

After leaving the office, Karen went to track down the nurse, George Buck. After finding him working as a janitor, she offered to buy him a cup of coffee to talk to him. They stood at the waterfront with their drinks in hand,

"So, you were with him when this was taken?" Karen asked, showing him the x-ray

"Yeah. That bullet...tore through his head. Not many people survive that" he answered

"Well, I'd like to know what you remember"

George shook his head "John Doe. Guy was a total vegetable, which is why I guess they decided he only needed one nurse."

"Any family or visitors?"

"No. I mean...aside from the suits"

"Suits?"

"Yeah, uh, sometimes men, sometimes women. You can tell because they all wear the same earpieces. That and the...black suits" he said as he gestured to Karens black dress

Karen scoffed "Got any idea who these suits were?"

"Pffft no. But they had their run of the place, and they were the ones that pushed for the, uh, the DNR."

"A 'Do not resuscitate'?"

George nodded "They had the paperwork and I was there when the doctor pulled the plug"

Karen began to stammer "I'm...I'm confused. You're saying this guy died?"

"Yeah, for about a minute. It's crazy but they say that it happens sometimes. You know, one minute flatline, then the next...boom. His heart starts back up again...on its own. He just didn't want to die. Within ten minutes of being awake, he reaches up and grabs my scrubs, yanks me down and says real close…'take me home'. I shouldn't have done it. I should've known it was going to get me fired"

"His home. Do you have an address?"

"Yeah"

While he wrote down the address for Karen, she asked him one more question "Did he say anything else to you?"

"Uh, yeah. While we were leaving, he was asking about his family"

"What about his family?"

"Wife, kids. I told him he was alone. He got real quiet after that."

He handed the address over to Karen and she thanked him, calling a cab to take her to the address she was given.

* * *

Frank sat on a bench next to the carousel, tears forming in his eyes as he thought of his trips there with his family. When they were little, Teddy and Lisa shared a horse, either himself or Maria standing next to them in case they fell off. But when they got bigger, they sat on separate horses, linking their hands across the ride. Whenever they went to the carousel, Teddy, Lisa, and Frank Jr held onto each other, except for when they waved to their parents. He was also reminded of the very last carousel trip. He wasn't surprised when Teddy came down from college, but he was surprised later on when she wanted to go with the kids onto the ride.

" _ **Come on, Teddy. You don't think you're a little too old to ride the carousel?" he asked her teasingly**_

 _ **She pursed her lips and nodded at him "Probably"**_

 _ **The pair then burst into laughter, Frank looking at his daughter and enjoying the happiness on her face since it had been a long time since he'd seen her that happy. The bell rang and the ride slowly started to move, Teddy hopped over the fence and jumped onto the ride, ending up on the opposite side from everyone else and making Frank laugh. A laugh that didn't last long, because barely a minute later, the first shot rang out.**_

The lights from the carousel shut off and he stayed seated where he was, noticing a man in dark clothing sitting on the bench next to his.

"Nice night" he commented, several more men coming out from the shadows.

* * *

The cab pulled up to the dark house, Karen paying the cabbie and getting out. She waved him off and looked at the mailbox seeing 'CASTLE' printed on the side. She went around to the back door and pulled out a credit card, using it to force the door open. After coming through the kitchen, Karen found herself in the living room, looking at the mail on the desk and accidentally kicking a toy, making it go off and scare her. She reached down and pulled a toy flashlight from the basket of toys, using it to give her more light as she looked around. Creeping throughout the house, Karen tried to be quiet, turning off the light and pressing herself against the wall when she heard a car passing by. After the car passed she turned the light back on, a pair of old kids sneakers on the stairs catching her eye. She crept up the stairs and into the first room she saw, little girls toys and stuffed animals scattered everywhere, drawings decorating the walls. Karen sat at the little table in the center of the room, looking around once more before her gaze fell onto the table, a child's book called 'One batch, two batch' sat on it. Using her tissue, she opened the book and skimmed through it, a sadness weighing on her. She moved on to the other bedrooms, seeing a little boy's room, a room that must've belonged to the parents, a guest room, and finally a room that she could only guess belonged to a teenage girl. After looking at the bedrooms, she went back down to the living room and started looking closely at the pictures hung everywhere. Some were of the family on different holidays, a man kissing a woman's pregnant belly, one of a little girl in a ballet outfit, and the same man holding the little girl on his shoulders. It took her a second but when the realization of who this little girl was, it hit her like a ton of bricks

"Theo" she whispered, picking up one of the family photos "This was your family"

She put the photo back in its place, feeling a mix of guilt and sadness for Theo. She continued to look, pictures of the man, Theo's father, on the mantle in a military uniform, above it hung service medals and pictures of him receiving those medals. She kept wandering, staring at the dead condolence flowers with a forlorn expression, quickly covering the light again as another vehicle passed. Peeking out the window, she saw a white van drive slowly by the house. Moving back to the flowers, Karen spotted another framed picture in between the pots, grabbing it and staring. They were at a carousel, Theo grinning widely and hugging her father's waist while he held onto the center pole with a smile on his face and an arm around Theo's shoulders while the two other children hung off their mother, mid-laugh, while their mother looked down at them. The sound of the van came again, followed by the sound of car doors closing. Panicking, Karen stuffed the picture in her purse and ran out of the house from the way she came in.


	8. Chapter 8

After saving Frank from the Irish, Matt helped him hobble through the cemetery, half dragging him until he started to drop. He lowered the injured man against a headstone and stood back up, breathing heavily.

"Hey," Frank panted "Not bad"

"Thanks" Matt replied with a breathy chuckle

"I guess, uh, I guess I was wrong"

"About?"

"You being a pussy"

"Don't get all sweet on me now, Frank"

Frank laughed, then began coughing, blood coming up into his hand.

"Help's on the way"

"Nah. You should go. I'm past saving… At least I'd have company, right?" he chuckled, then stopped "I think I might cash out… You'd have made a hell of a Marine, Red"

Matt knelt next to Frank, "That rhyme. What's it mean?"

"What did you say?" Frank asked in disbelief

"That thing you say. Right before you pull the trigger"

"What are you… you heard that?"

"Yeah, I heard it"

"What the….I gotta say, sometimes...sometimes I think you really just might be the devil"

"Sometimes I think I might be too"

"It's, uh, One batch, two batch. Penny and dime, you know. It was her favorite book. Both their favorite books. You know you...you gotta cross the ocean, go and fight. You… the whole time you're thinking you're going to be scared, right? But then, you're not. See, that part of it was always easy for me. Killing. Even watching my buddies die, it just...it didn't mean nothing." Frank scoffed and adjusted himself against the grave "First time I got scared...was on a plane on the way home. I kept thinking that God was going to pull the rug out from under us, you know? Shit, that's his kind of funny. But the plane landed safe and we were home, driving through traffic. Yeah, you pass fast food, donut shops and all that...that greasy shit. It's the shit you fought to protect, then the car stops. We were outside her school. I get to her classroom, right? She's in there...but she's got no idea. She's got no idea that daddy's home. I walk in, these kids, they're not even studying, they're doing some kind of yoga...yeah. She's there, she's doing her poses. She's bending and she's moving...she looks like a flower. And, you know, you can't even understand it, you know, how does something like that...how does something that beautiful...how does that...how does that come from me, you know?"

By now Matt had sat down, staring in Franks direction while he spoke, hearing the love and sorrow that laced his voice

"She looks up and she sees me...I see her. By God, that's real. That's real, Red. Boom, in an instant, she's across that classroom floor, she's in my arms. She's squeezing me so tight, I swear I was gonna bust a rib. We just stayed there like that, holding each other. Teacher, she's filming the whole thing on her phone, you know, she's gonna put it on YouTube or some shit. She can't hold the thing steady, because, you know, she's...she's bawling so hard, and all the kids are all wailing, you know, they're screaming. And me? Shit, I'm the worst of all. I'm a...I'm a rubber-faced clown, you know. I cried so hard. But not my baby...not my little girl. You know, she's my baby girl. She's...she's not crying, she's holding me up. My girl, she's keeping me on my feet." He took a deep, trembling breath "She says 'I knew it, daddy. I knew it' and then we go home...Wife, the boy...she calls my oldest, my big girl...She's off at college, wanted to be a lawyer. My wife calls her, tells her I'm home and she starts squealing over the phone, says she's coming home and before I knew it, she's bursting through that door and wrapping me up in her arms. She finally lets me go and I look at her...it was like I was looking at myself in a mirror. She looked so tired and relaxed, more calm than she'd been in a long time. And everything was the same like it was holding its breath waiting for me to come back. And then it really hit me...All of it, you know. The first time I felt how tired I was, you know, I was just...tired, you know? You...you ever been tired, Red?"

"Yeah," Matt told him

"So, you know." Frank continued, "It's just, I couldn't do nothing, you know? All the things...I couldn't take my wife to bed. Ball with the boy, shit...I was too tired, I couldn't even drink a goddamn beer, you know. Teddy, my big girl, she knew it too. Knew how tired I was. I couldn't keep anything from her, she just...she always knew...always knew. It was who she was. She lays next to me on the couch and she goes 'You're tired. Aren't you, daddy' and I just... I look at her, look at those big brown eyes of hers and I tell her 'Yeah. Yeah, daddy's tired' and she just hugs me close and tells me 'Me too'. She told my wife that she wanted to come home, that she was so miserable in the dorm she was staying in and I knew it, my girl...my Teddy...she only called me 'Daddy' when she was scared, upset. She knew I was just exhausted and she called me out on it. But not my little girl...she was up. See, she wanted me to, uh, she wanted me to tuck her in. She...she outgrew it, she knew it, but she didn't care. She wanted it. She had that book. Her favorite book was out on the pillows, 'One batch, two batch...penny and dime', yeah. I read her that book every night before this shit. Both of them. Except, Teddy...after a while, she'd take the book and she'd try and read it to me...said...she said I wasn't doing it right" he laughed

Matt smiled, knowing exactly how Teddy could be. The shock of learning that Frank was her father had finally worn off, his heart weighing heavily in his chest at the thought of Frank and Teddy both thinking that the other was dead all this time. He also wondered if he knew she was alive earlier, would things have been different?

"She looked at me and she begged me. She begged me, Red. She begged. She begged….and I said 'No. Daddy's too tired, see. But I'll...I'll read it to you tomorrow night. I'll read to you tomorrow night, I promise'. Yeah. Never think that...for her, there's not going to be any tomorrow, see. The last time I'd see her, I'd be holding her lifeless body in my arms. Meat was spilling out of her, Red. The place where her face used to be."

Matt cried silently "What about your other daughter?"

Frank choked on his sobs "She...she was on the other side of the carousel. I heard her yelling, screaming. By the time I found her she was...face down in a pool of blood, people tripping over her trying to get away. She was already gone...I think I'm done, Red. I think I'm done"

Sirens grew closer, telling Matt that he only had a little bit of time left to make a choice. Tell Frank about Teddy, or let her find him. A squad car speed up the road and stopped dead, Mahoney getting out of the car and pulling his gun on the two men

"Police. Don't move" he yelled "Hands where I can see them"

Matt lifted both his hands

"Shots fired, bodies, mayhem, and shit. How come I just knew it had to be you?"

"I have something for you, Sergeant," Matt said

Mahoney and his partner looked behind Matt, seeing Frank "That him?"

Matt nodded

"Cover him and get EMS," Mahoney told his partner "And you, you incredible pain in my ass. You're under arrest"

Matt was brought to his knees, his arms being put behind his back "Get him help"

"Shut up"

"Take the collar"

"What?"

"You heard me. You caught him, not me. It can't be me, it has to be you."

"Why?"

"To protect the Kitchen. For law, for order."

"You telling me how to file a report now?"

"Yeah. Take the collar. Take the credit, get a promotion if you can. You've earned it"

"Bullshit"

"No, people have to know the system works. Not his justice and not mine. Vigilante days are done in this town. The police are in charge"

"That's not how it happened"

"Then make it how it happened"

"Shit"

"EMT and back up on the way. Two minutes out!" his partner called

Brett uncuffed Matt and hauled him to his feet "Go. Go! I don't know what you are...but I know you ain't him.

* * *

After watching Frank be taken away on a stretcher, Matt returned to his apartment, taking off the suit and going into the living room, where he found Teddy asleep on the couch. He didn't want to wake her, but since he didn't tell Frank the truth, he felt that she had to know. Plus, he knew she'd find out anyway now that he was in custody and he'd prefer she hears it from him first. He lifted her head and sat on the couch, placing her head in his lap. The movement caused her to wake up, letting out a small groan and turning so that she was looking at Matt. She reached for the hand he had draped over her waist and held it, stroking his knuckles with her thumb

"Hey" she whispered

"Hi" he whispered back

"I'm sorry I was late today. By the time I got there, Foggy said you left hours ago. Did you catch him?" she inquired

"I did" he nodded "But...Teddy, sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you"

She sat up, knowing whatever it was couldn't have been good. He only used pet names if he was trying to ease something to her and not hurt her feelings. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"The Punisher...I want you to hear it from me. When I caught him, he was hurt pretty badly and we talked"

"You and the Punisher...talked" she repeated

"Yeah, and I got some answers" he took a deep breath "Teddy, the Punisher...is your father, Frank"

Teddy's face dropped "That's not funny Matt. Why would you say something like that?"

"I'm not trying to make a joke or anything, Teddy. I'm telling you the truth. I swear"

Teddy began to cry, her breathing coming fast and hard "But...but, it can't be. Everyone said they were all dead. And...a-and if he's really alive and has been all this time, why hasn't he come looking for me? He would've come looking if he was alive, not killing people. My dad doesn't do that...My daddy doesn't do that" she sobbed between her gasps for air

"Teddy, baby, you need to breathe, ok? He thought you were dead. He saw you on the ground in a pool of blood and he thought you were gone" he tried to explain, but nothing was helping. It was getting harder for her to breathe and before either of them could react she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Matt dropped to her side and put his hand on her chest while trying to hold her up with the other hand. Her heartbeat was faint just like her breathing and when he couldn't get her to wake up he dialed 911, the ambulance responding quickly and bringing them both to the hospital.

* * *

After a thorough examination at Metro-Gen, the doctors deemed that Teddy had a panic attack and fainted from it and that they were going to keep her overnight for observation. They allowed Matt to stay until visiting hours were over, but because he wasn't her husband or family, he had to leave. He called Foggy and told him what happened, heading to meet him and Karen at Josie's. The news on the tv in the bar was of nothing but the capture of the Punisher by Mahoney, Foggy commenting how good of a job the sergeant did.

"Press are calling Castle a 'cold-blooded psychopath'. The DA's going to have one hell of a time using his prosecution to turn herself into a hero" Karen stated, reaching for her beer and taking a long pull

"Wow, way to bring us down" Foggy replied "Hey, Josie, would you mind turning the tv off? It's upsetting some of the regulars"

"I think we've had enough Punisher for one evening," Matt said to them

"I'll drink to that" Karen responded, the three of them clinking their drinks together

"I'm going to get us another round. Hope you saved room for shots" exclaimed Foggy, getting up from the table

"Shots" Matt chuckled "Thanks, Fog"

After he left, Karen flipped her hair and sighed

"Hey, everything ok?" Matt asked

"I should be asking you that" she answered, "How's Theo?"

"The doctors said she had a panic attack. They're keeping her overnight"

"I'm sorry. How are you doing?"'

"I'm worried about her. I wanted to stay with her but the doctors said spouses and family only" he frowned "I think I'm gonna go"

"Matt-"

"No, I just...I'd rather be home, you know? I'm not exactly in the festive mood"

Before Karen could say anything else, Matt got up and put his jacket on, using his cane to navigate himself out of the bar. Foggy saw him leaving and ran out behind him,

"Matt! Matt!" he shouted

Stopping in the pouring rain Matt turned toward the sound of Foggy's voice

"Where are you going, man?" he asked his friend

"Is this what it's like Foggy?" he questioned

"Is this what what's like?"

"Worrying all the time about me. I know she does, she doesn't say it but I know. And now here I am, worried sick about if she's ok. Is this karma?"

"Matt, this isn't karma. Theo works beyond hard and she just found out her dad isn't dead and is a serial killer. That's a shock to anyone's system"

"But it doesn't help when she worries if I'm coming home or not, or if I'm alive or dead. I love her, Foggy, if anything happened to her I'd never forgive myself"

"Nothing is going to happen to her. She'll be just fine, home, tomorrow. You should head home, try and get some sleep"

Matt nodded and thanked his friend, then continued walking to his apartment.

* * *

Opening the door to his apartment, Matt made sure to lock it behind himself, taking off his glasses and placing them on the table near the door. He made his way into the kitchen and to the refrigerator, grabbing out a beer and popping it open. The sudden realization that someone else was in the apartment made him react quickly, grabbing a knife from behind himself and holding it defensively.

"Hello, Matthew" came a woman's accented voice

Matt lowered the knife "Elektra"

 **A/N: Elektra has returned, does this mean trouble for Matt and Teddy? Let me know what you think. Also, I know the panic attack thing is a little overdramatic but then again so am I**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter starts in the timeframe from Teddy leaving work the day of Grotto's funeral and when she found out about Frank, then jumps into present time. The language Teddy speaks is Romanian, I used google translate so I apologize for any mistakes. Also a big shout out to A.K.A Author Unknown for their amazing review. Please R &R and thank you.**

After leaving work, Teddy went to the Nelson & Murdock office, finding only Foggy.

"Hey," she greeted "Where is everyone?"

"Theo, hey, uh, Karen's off chasing the Punisher files and Matt left a few hours ago" Foggy replied

"You mean he left, like out left?" she asked

"Yeah" he nodded

Teddy sighed and sat in a nearby chair

"How're you guys doing?" he inquired. Since Matt dropped the ball on his intent to propose he wondered how Theo was doing, especially after the gunshot incident and the call he made to her the night Matt went missing.

"I don't really know. My relationship with Matt feels like I'm dating Daredevil more often than not. I just worry so much that, the next phone call I get from you is telling me he's dead. After everything that's already happened, I don't know if I can handle that" she answered

"You know, when he says he loves you, he means it. Just like when he promises not to leave you, he means that. He'd never purposely leave you"

"I know. I believe that with all of my heart...but leaving me on purpose isn't my concern."

Foggy was quiet, he wanted to tell her about the ring, give her something to be optimistic about, but he knew it wasn't his place to say. "Theo, he'll stop...once he catches the Punisher"

"But what about when the next Punisher comes around? Or the next one? Is our life going to be put in purgatory every time a new criminal stirs up Hell's Kitchen?"

"You see a life with him?"

"I see the rest of my life with him. Marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. But I am terrified that because of Daredevil, Matt won't be coming back"

"Theo, I've known Matt for a really long time. He's never been more serious about anything than he is with you. You can get him to stop if you ask him"

"I feel like if I were to ask him to give up the suit...it would be like asking him to give up a part of himself. I don't know if I can do that to him"

"I don't see too many other options"

"Neither do I. My only plan for right now is to try and keep things going smoothly and keep loving him until we hit the next bridge."

Foggy smiled softly at her "You really are too good to him"

"No" Teddy smiled back "He's good to me"

Suddenly, her phone started ringing from an unknown number. She excused herself from Foggy and went to answer it

"Hello?" she answered

" _Is this Theodosia Xitano?"_

Teddy took a deep breath "Yes. It is"

" _I'm calling from Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. I'm calling about Florica Xitano, she'd like to see you"_

"What's wrong with her?"

" _I'm afraid I can't answer that over the phone. If you come in, I can explain everything to you."_

"I'm on my way"

She hung up the phone and went to grab her bag, telling Foggy that she had to go, giving him no further details. She hopped on the subway and about half an hour later, she was walking in the doors of the hospital and to the front desk,

"Hi, someone just called me about a patient. Florica Xitano" she told the nurse

"Your name?" he replied dryly

"Theodosia"

"Follow me. She's been asking for you"

He got up and walked around the desk, gesturing for Teddy to follow him

"What's wrong with her?" she asked

"Advanced lung cancer. Docs don't give her but a few more hours. I'm sorry" he answered

"Damn. Is anyone else in there with her?"

"Her son, his wife, and their kids"

Teddy nodded her head and remained quiet for the rest of the walk to the room.

Once she got to the room, the nurse apologized once again and left, leaving Teddy to walk in alone. Cree was inside with her husband, Teddy's brother, and their three children napping on the couch and cot in the room.

"Theo!" Cree exclaimed in shock

"Hey Cree. Nicolae" Teddy addressed, trying to keep herself calm

"I didn't know if you would be coming. I'm glad to see you" said Nicolae

"I didn't know if I wanted to come. Where is he?"

"Dead. He died last year. Heart attack"

Teddy huffed and crossed her arms

"Nicolae! Nicolae!" called a hoarse voice, followed by a loud cough

Teddy stepped further into the room, seeing the frail old woman coughing harshly on the hospital bed. When she finally saw Teddy standing there, her eyes welled with tears and she whispered "Theodosia"

" _Salut" Teddy replied "Maică" (Hello; Mother)_

* * *

" _Mi-a fost dor de tine, copilul meu," Florica told her daughter, "Ești atât de frumos" (I have missed you, my child; You are so beautiful)_

Sensing the tension, Nicolae and Cree quickly gathered their children and left the room.

" _Ce fac eu aici?" Teddy snapped (What am I doing here?)_

" _Am vrut să te văd ... ultima oară" (I wanted to see you...one last time)_

" _Dupa toti acesti ani? După toate acestea sa întâmplat?" (After all these years? After all that's happened?)_

 _Florica looked at her hands in shame "Trebuie să înțelegeți-" (You must understand-)_

" _Ce este de înțeles?" Teddy shouted, "L-ai lăsat să mă bată. Când eram în sfârșit în siguranță și fericit, amândoi ați încercat să mă răpiți din familia mea și când am refuzat să mă întorc, ați văzut cum mi-a făcut numele de Gadje. Am fost unsprezece ani!" (What is there to understand?; You let him beat me. When I was finally safe and happy you both tried to kidnap me from my family and when I refused to go back, you watched as he branded me a Gadje. I was eleven years old!)_

" _Theodosia, am nevoie de iertarea ta" Florica pleaded (Please, Theodosia, I need your forgiveness)_

" _Nu știu dacă o pot da" (I don't know if I can give it)_

After that Teddy left, disappearing down the halls trying to control her sobs. Her chest where the brand was located burned her, even though it had been years since the incident. As she cried, she felt herself starting to hyperventilate and all she wanted was to be comforted. But not by her brother or Cree, or even Matt. But the one person she wanted comfort from was the one person she couldn't get.

It was a long time before she finally got up and went back to her Florica's room, Cree and Nicolae sitting in the chairs by the bedside.

" _Imi pare rau. Dar nu te pot ierta pentru ce sa făcut. Fiecare dintre voi." she stated, turning on her heel and leaving the hospital for home. (I'm sorry. But I cannot forgive you for what was done. Either of you)_

* * *

Xx

* * *

Waking up, Teddy was groggy and confused, unsure of where she was.

"Well, well, well. Sleeping beauty's finally awake" came a familiar sarcastic voice

She looked over and when her eyes focused on the obsidian eyes staring at her, she broke into a grin "Hey"

"How're you feeling princess?" Billy asked her, gently grabbing her hand

"A little confused. You know, we really do have to stop catching up like this" she joked

"You're telling me. I'm not a big fan of seeing you in hospital beds"

"I'm not a fan of being in them. Where exactly am I?"

"Metro-Gen. They said you had some kind of panic attack"

She nodded slowly, the memories coming back to her. "Of all the bad shit that happened yesterday, finding out about dad was the worst"

"What happened yesterday?" he inquired, concern etching his features

She inhaled deeply "It's not important right now"

"You can tell me over breakfast then"

"Is it breakfast already?"

"Yeah, they, uh, they sedated you last night and you've been asleep ever since. They were hoping to discharge you a few hours ago"

"What time is it?"

"10 AM"

"Jesus. I should call Matt"

Trying to not let his jealousy show, Billy got up and stepped out to give her some privacy. Matt didn't answer his phone so she left a slightly irritated voicemail

"Hey, Matt, uh, they're letting me out and I guess you're busy or something, so I'll just see you later at home. Love you, bye"

After hanging up she changed into her clothes, calling Billy back into the room

"You ok?" he asked

"Yeah. He didn't answer," she told him

"Good, then I can take you out for breakfast. No arguments"

"Bill"

"Come on, Teddy. I haven't seen you since…." he huffed "Please, Teddy, I'll bring you anywhere you want to go"

"Anywhere?"

"Name it"

"Fine. I want to go back to yours"

"W-What?"

"You heard me. I want to go back to yours like we used to. So we can cook, eat, and talk"

"Alright. Deal."

"Alright"

They grabbed Teddy's discharge papers and headed out, Billy's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

* * *

Once at Billy's apartment, Teddy was ordered to sit down while Bill cooked and made her a cup of tea.

"So," he began as he scrambled the eggs in the pan "You want to tell me about yesterday?"

Teddy fiddled with the mug between her hands "I really should've guessed nothing good was going to come from that phone call when they asked for 'Theodosia Xitano'"

"What was the call about?"

"My birth mother, Florica. She was in the hospital and wanted to see me"

"So you went"

"I did. Turns out she was dying of lung cancer, didn't have much time left. All she wanted from me was to forgive her so she could move on peacefully"

He turned the burners off and faced her "Did you?"

"I couldn't. She died sometime early this morning I guess" she told him, not meeting his eye

"Who told you?"

"My brother text me. He was there when I saw her"

"I didn't know you had a brother"

"We're not close. He was the coveted son, I was the unwanted daughter"

"When was the last time you saw them?"

"My brother is married to my friend Cree and they have three kids, so I see him when I see her. My parents…" she trailed off, raising her hand to the brand again, tears streaming down her cheeks "I was 11"

"Hey, hey," he said gently, picking her face up in his hands "You're ok...What the hell did they do to you?"

"I'd be better off showing you" she stated, standing up and taking off her hoodie, then her shirt, leaving her in her low-cut tank top, the discolored scar in the shape of a 'G' standing out against her skin

"I..never...never saw this before" he stuttered

"Probably because the last time you saw me without a shirt on I was covered in bruises and you were ready to kill someone" she replied

He brought his hand to the mark and used his thumb to trace it "Does it mean something?"

"Gadje. Outsider. It means I no longer belong. They grabbed me after dance practice one afternoon...they wanted me to go back with them since I belonged to them. I didn't want to...so I fought. My birth father got really mad and he said that if I wanted to turn my back on them and betray the family, then everyone would know I wasn't one of them. He took some wire from his pocket and made the G, burning it into me with his lighter. My birth mother held me down and watched. I ended up getting a restraining order after that"

"I'm so sorry Teddy"

She brought her hand up and covered his, squeezing lightly "It's ok"

They were silent as they stood holding their hands together against her chest, her fast heartbeat thumping against their fingers.

"I miss you" Bill suddenly blurted

"What?" Teddy questioned, thinking she heard him wrong

"I said, I miss you."

She fought the urge to tell him that she missed him too, that she thought about him more often than she'd like to admit. But her mind screamed at her, reminding her that she was with Matt and she loved him. Which wasn't a lie, she did love him, but she also loved Billy, whether she liked it or not.

"I...I can't" she whispered

"You can't what? You can't miss me?"

"Exactly! Bill, I'm with someone. A good man who I love...I can't be thinking about you"

"You love this guy? The same guy who didn't show up for you today?"

"That's not fair"

"Neither is life sweetheart. You say you love one guy and yet you admit to thinking about another"

"I didn't come here to fight with you Bill. Please just let it go"

"I don't want to let it go! I'm tired of letting it go! Do you have any idea how many times a day you cross my mind? How often I wonder what you're doing? Because it's often enough that it drives me crazy!"

"You think I don't get that? I hear songs on the radio and I think how much better they'd be if you sang them like you used to when you cooked. I think about your eyes and your smile and it makes me insane because I shouldn't be thinking of them when I'm with Matt. And God forbid I find that old t-shirt of yours...It still smells like you and it makes me miss you all the more. And I hate myself for it"

"You hate yourself for loving me?"

"No" Teddy wept "I hate myself for wanting you when I'm with and in love with someone else. I hate myself for not being able to get you out of my head."

Billy frowned, tears leaking from his eyes. Seeing him cry, Teddy reached up and wiped the tears from his face. He put his hands on her wrists to keep her in place, closing his eyes and relishing in the feeling of her touch. Teddy found herself pressing her forehead to his, melting into him. Catching herself before she went too far, she kissed his lips and pulled away before he could react

"I'm sorry" she cried, pulling away from him and running out of the apartment.

Billy watched her as she ran out the door, sitting on the arm of his couch, resting his hands on his knees and folding his hands together, resting his head against them while he cried.


	10. Chapter 10

From Billy's apartment, Teddy went back to her own, upset that Matt wasn't there and happy at the same time because she hated herself for what had just happened. She changed her clothes and located the shirt she had of Bill's making the conscious choice to put him out of her life completely in order to try and make things work with Matt. She dug up an empty box, folded up the shirt and placed it inside, writing a note for him

 _ **Dear Billy,**_

 _ **I want to start this by saying that I'm sorry. What happened was a mistake that I shouldn't have made. I've been in love with you since I was seventeen and we've been through so much together, but I've moved on with Matt and I do love him and I can't have a life with him if my mind is always on you. I hate the feeling when you have to say goodbye to someone you want to spend every minute of every day with. I mean, I don't think I could ever really say goodbye to you...even if you said it to me. So, I'm trying not to make this a goodbye, but a thank you. Thank you for coming into my life and giving me joy, even in the worst of times, for loving me and accepting my love, for protecting me, and for all of the amazing memories that I'll cherish forever.**_

 _ **Too many times, we say goodbye to the people we love without wanting to. It doesn't mean that we've stopped loving them, or that we've stopped caring because as much as I may not want to admit it, there will always be a part of me that will love you and care about you and that won't ever go away, no matter what. Sometimes, goodbye is a painful way to say that I love you because I won't hold you back from moving on with your life. I'm sorry that this is the way it has to be. Please be happy.**_

 _ **Always,**_

 _ **Teddy**_

Her teardrops decorated the page as she folded the letter and placed it in the box, writing Billy's address on it and running it down to the mailbox. From there, she headed to Nelson & Murdock looking for Matt. Her heart was breaking for the letter she sent Billy, but she needed to let him go if she was ever going to make her relationship with Matt work, which she did since she really did love him and want to spend the rest of her life with him. When she finally got to the office, she found it locked and closed. Which she found unusual since she figured that with everything going on, at least Karen would be there. She dug her phone out of her purse and dialed Matt's number, surprised when he answered after a few rings,

" _Teddy, sweetheart, I'm so sorry about this morning. I got caught up with a client and-"_

"Matt, it's fine. Where are you?"

" _I'm going to be heading back to the office. Are you sure you're ok? You sounded upset when you called"_

"I'll be ok, we can talk about it later. Right now I'm going to go down to the precinct and talk to Mahoney about seeing my dad"

" _Good luck. Let me know if you need anything and let's do dinner tonight. Just you and me"_

Teddy smiled and sighed "That sounds great. Just name the place and I'm there"

" _How about Montello's at six?"_

"Seriously?"

" _Seriously. What do you say?"_

"I'm there. I'll see you later, ok? I love you"

" _I love you too"_

* * *

Going to the precinct was a mistake Teddy didn't see coming. Once she went inside and told the officer her name, she was shoved into an interrogation room and questioned if she knew what her father was doing, did she help him, and if she was really his family since they were supposedly all dead. After answering their questions she demanded either they let her have her lawyer or let her see her father. It was a while before they told her where he was and said it was up to the DA and officers in charge to let her in when she got there. Annoyed and frustrated, she hopped on the bus to Metro-Gen, seeing the media frenzy outside the building and using the staff entrance to get inside. She had to dodge some of her coworkers but was eventually able to make it up to the prison ward where her father was being held.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I need to see your ID," the cop near the door told her as soon as she stepped into the hallway

She fished it out of her wallet and handed it to the officer "I'm here to see Frank Castle"

"Wait here" the officer barked, taking her ID and going off to speak with a woman in a dark pantsuit.

The official-looking woman grabbed her ID and looked at it as the officer spoke, then turned and locked eyes with Teddy, her face turning sour as she strut over to the other Castle.

"Well, Miss Castle" she snarked "I'm afraid you won't be able to see Mr. Castle today"

"And you are?" Teddy sassily replied

"District Attorney Samantha Reyes," the woman told her with a poisonous smile

"Well, Ms. Reyes, I hope there's a good reason why I can't see my father today"

"Well, he's not awake at the moment so you'll have to wait"

"Oh, he's not awake yet. Well, I'll just sit with him until he does wake up"

Reyes stepped in front of Teddy, blocking her from walking toward the room "Just how did you get up here exactly?"

"Same as you counselor. I used the door"

"Cute"

"I'm adorable. Now, let me ask you something counselor. Does my father even know that I'm alive? Or are you withholding that information from him to use to your advantage later?"

Reyes's face fell, "Officers will you please escort this young lady out and make sure she doesn't come back. We're done here"

She handed Teddy her ID back and watched as two of the police officers put Teddy in the elevator. The cops escorted her to the main entrance, where they shoved her outside with a warning to not come back.

* * *

From the hospital, Teddy returned home to change into something nicer for dinner. Since she was already running late, she grabbed a cab and hurried into the restaurant, having the host bring her to where Matt was seated.

"Hi, I'm sorry I'm late," she said, kissing Matt and sitting down

"It's ok, I ran kind of late myself" he replied

"I guess both our days ran longer than we expected" she lifted the menu from the table and began to look it over, her eyes widening in shock "Woah,"

"What?"

"There are at least ten different kinds of wine here"

"I can't really help you there considering-"

"You don't drink anything that isn't served at Josie's"

"And your knowledge extends as far as your parent's liquor cabinet" they both chuckled "I missed this. Just us getting to spend some time together"

"Me too" Teddy replied, grabbing his hand.

"Mr. Murdock?" the host interrupted "You have a call"

"Oh, uh, thank you" Matt stuttered as he fumbled with the phone

"I'm going to use the ladies room," Teddy tells him, wanting to give him some privacy.

When she came back from the bathroom a few minutes later, Matt was on his feet and heading for the door

"Hey, hey what's wrong?" she asked him

"Nothing, it's just...I don't really like this place" he answered

"You don't like the place or you don't want to be here with-"

"No, no, no. This place isn't me. It isn't us"

"You're right. Come on, I know a place not far from here"

* * *

"This smells amazing" Matt exclaimed as the bowls of curry were placed in front of the couple "How'd you find this place"

"Well, when my friend Cree was pregnant with her twins, all she wanted was curry. So after a lot of internet searching, she found this place and brought me with her"

"It's nice"

"I love the lights they have up. They're shaped like chili peppers and they're hung literally everywhere"

"Wow" Matt breathed

"Yeah...this is much better, right?"

"Definitely. You know, I've always been more comfortable around the cheaper stuff"

"Yeah, I get it"

Matt stared at her with a smile, then cleared his throat "Ok, uh, Teddy, I have something I need to say"

"Matt?"

"I somehow have this ability to bring disaster to the best things in my life. And you have been perfect all this time we've been together. You've stuck by my side through so much...even when I've given you a thousand reasons to leave. I love you, so much and I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you" he dug in his pocket and pulled out the velvet box, opening it to show her the ring "Theodosia Castle, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God" Teddy sobbed "Yes! Yes!"

Matt kissed her, then took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her third finger, the surrounding patrons applauding them.

"I love you" she exclaimed, kissing him again "This ring is so beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"I love you too. The ring was my grandmothers, my father's mother. She gave it to him to give to my mom and when she left she gave it back"

"I love it, Matt. And I know I've said it at least five times already, but I love you so much"

"I love you, Teddy. You can never say it too much"

They picked at their dinner, making small talk about the wedding

"Do you think Father Lantom will be able to do the ceremony?" Teddy inquired

"Really?" Matt asked in surprise "You want to have the wedding at the church?"

"Yeah, I know it means a lot to you and I think it'll be nice" she answered

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll ask him" Matt grinned

"You know we should probably try and figure out a date before we ask him to do anything"

"Well, if you put into consideration how long it would take to get a dress and a suit, and that it's going to be very small attendance wise….so how long would it take you to get a dress?"

"Oh Matty, I could end up with one by at least the day after tomorrow. In that time I could even get you a suit"

"So how about...two weeks?"

Teddy almost choked on her food "Two weeks? Are you serious? That soon?"

"It can be arranged, yeah. Teddy, I've been holding onto this ring for the past three months. All I want is to marry you and with everything going on with your father...I want it to be one less thing to worry about and make it so I can be by your side through everything"

"How did you get to be so perfect?"

Matt chuckled "I'm far from it"

"Not to me"

He leaned forward and kissed her lips and cheek, whispering in her ear "Let's go home"

* * *

When Teddy woke up the next morning, Matt was already gone, a fuzzy memory of him leaving in the middle of the night in her head. With the wedding coming up in such a short time, she realized how much she needed to do. She called Cree and arranged for them to go dress shopping later that morning. Next, she made her way to the local community center, knowing that the veterans meeting should be just finishing up.

Walking into the room, she saw Curtis picking up chairs and placing them back on the rack

"Knock knock," she said, making him turn around and break into a wide smile

"Hey, Teddy, what're you doing here?" he asked, bringing her into a tight hug

"I came to see you. Figured the best time was after your meeting and before you had to head into work"

"That's smart. Coffee?"

She nodded and he poured them both a cup

"So, what's going on?" he questioned "Besides the obvious"

Teddy scoffed "You know, a lot's going on, but I don't think much is going to top finding out my dad's been alive this whole time and killed a bunch of people"

"Have you seen him?"

"Not yet. The DA kicked me out of the hospital when I tried to see him yesterday. I'm hoping I'll have better luck today"

"You know I'm here if you need anything."

"Yeah, I know Curt"

"So what else is up?"

"Uh, my biological mom died the other day. And, uh, I'm getting married"

"What? Did you just say you're getting married?"

Teddy showed him the ring on her hand "Yeah, in two weeks"

"Teddy, I'm happy for you...but two weeks?"

"Well, we kind of just want to get it done and it's not like it would be a big wedding or anything. Cree and my brother with their kids, a few people from work, Matt's best friend and you if you come"

"Of course I'll come. You never have to doubt that for a minute."

"But…"

"But I just feel like you're rushing this. Is this really what you want?"

"It is what I want. More than almost anything"

"And I know what you want more" he mumbled, "So, did you talk to Russo? Or are you guys still not talking?"

"Uh, I saw him yesterday" she answered, absently picking at her nails. "We had another fight and we aren't exactly talking"

"Damn," Curtis exclaimed, "What ever happened between you two? It was like one day you guys are living together and getting along and the next thing I know, you left to go live with your friend and you and Russo aren't speaking at all. What happened?"

The scent of blood hit Teddy's nose as she listened to Curtis talk. She closed her eyes as the memory forced itself to the surface

 _Blood. There's so much blood...And the pain, oh God, the pain was like nothing she ever felt before. She was curled against the white tile, now stained red, screaming in despair, her phone still clutched in her hand. A set of shoes coming into her view and those two words she'd be hearing many more times that day_

" _Oh, God!"_

"Teddy! Teddy!" Curtis called, shaking her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

She blinked several times and plastered a false smile on her face "Yeah, um, I also had a bit of a favor to ask"

"What's up?"

"Will you walk me down the aisle?"

"Teddy-"

"Come on, please Curtis. We all know my dad can't do it...he'll never-" she stopped herself, "You're the next best thing to him"

"Alright, alright. I'd be honored"

Teddy cheered and threw her arms around his neck "Thank you, thank you, thank you"

"Anything for you, kid" he replied with a slight laugh

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Shoot"

"Do you think my dad knew I was alive?"

"I've known Frank for a long time, and there's no doubt in my mind that if he knew you survived, he never would've left your side"

"I just find all of this so shady. Both of us are told that no one else survived and now they won't let me see him"

"I wish I knew how to help you"

"I wish I knew how to help myself"

 **A/N: Here we go, the question has been popped! And we see Teddy** ** _try_** **to remove Billy from her life and be detached while saying goodbye while we also get a little glimpse into the reason she and Bill aren't together/ haven't spoken that was brought up in CH 9. As always I love hearing your opinions and any questions or theories, so please R &R**


	11. Chapter 11

When Curtis and Teddy were done talking, she left and went to the dress shop where Cree was waiting for her. In the span of three hours, Teddy ended up trying on most of the white and cream dresses in the store.

"What about this one?" she asked Cree

"You look like a giant marshmallow" Cree replied

Teddy sighed "If I knew it would be this difficult to find a dress I would've asked him to elope"

"As if. You've always wanted a traditional wedding. Well, not his kind of traditional"

"Obviously I can't have that kind of traditional wedding. His kind isn't so bad"

Cree looked at her with a raised brow and Teddy stepped off the platform and went back into the change room to change. While she was changing Cree looked at her and phone alerted her to a text from two hours earlier

"It's Matt," Cree told her

"What's it say?"

"Holy shit"

"What?"

"He's going with Karen and Foggy to see your dad"

Teddy popped her head out from behind the curtain "Are you serious?"

"Like cancer. Do you want me to reply?"

"Yeah, just tell him to be careful and that I love him. Also to tell my dad that I love him too"

"Ok" Cree replied, "Done"

"Ok," said Teddy, stepping out onto the platform in a new dress

"Oh. My. God"

"What?"

"You look amazing"

She looked at herself in the large mirror, her mouth falling open in shock. The dress was a beautiful, long gown with lace on the bottom and had sleeves that fell just off her shoulders.

"This is definitely it" she decided

"Thank God" Cree joked "Now, what am I wearing?"

"Oh, uh, what about something Burgandy?"

"I could do that. But, not from here"

"Right, we can get outta here as soon as I change and pay"

Cree nodded

As soon as Teddy was done changing, she brought the dress to the clerk and paid, then the two girls went off to hunt for a bridesmaid dress, Teddy's mind on Matt and his meeting with her father.

* * *

When he heard the sound of people entering the room, Frank stirred slightly, not opening his eyes until he heard a familiar voice

"Frank Castle. My name is Matthew Murdock. These are my associates, Franklin Nelson and Karen Page," Matt told him

"Yeah," Frank replied, "I know who you are. You protect shitbags"

"We came here today to make you an offer. We don't want money for our services, we aren't interested in free advertising or fame. We weren't even assigned to your case, we don't have to be here, but you take a quick look around you'll notice that we're the only ones who are." Matt told him "As you may well know, your list of enemies extends well beyond the gangs you've killed. You're very good at making powerful enemies. The day you were admitted to Metro-General for the round you took to the head, a do-not-resuscitate order was placed on you."

"And a shoot-to-kill order, just a few days ago" Foggy added

"We know because we heard it given" Karen included

"These orders were given by the District Attorney. And the fact that she's had it in for us since we started asking questions tells us that we're on the right track. Someone in the DA's office wants you dead, Mr. Castle...and we'd like to know why"

Karen stepped closer to Matt and Frank just stared

"You let us take your case, we can soften your sentence, and give you a shot. Maybe find out who's responsible for what happened to you. We're talking about your life, Mr. Castle. We can help you keep what's left of it"

Frank chuckled "Yeah. Kinda like what you did for Grotto, huh?"

Karen grabbed the photo from her purse and walked closer to Frank, crossing the red tape with Matt trying to stop her. She held the picture up for Frank to see,

"You want answers? So do we, but none of us will get them if they're dead" she snapped, struggling against Matt

"Where did you get that?" Frank demanded

"From your home" she answered

"You were in my home? Why were you in my house?"

"Someone is lying about what happened to your family, Mr. Castle. Your daughter is alive, she didn't die in the shooting"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Before Karen could answer, the three were pulled from the room and Mahoney came in, Frank telling him that Nelson and Murdock were his new lawyers. When they came back in, it was just Karen and Foggy, no Matt. Foggy tried to get him to verbally confirm that he wanted to plead guilty, but Frank had other plans.

"Her. I want to talk to her alone," he said

"No. Absolutely not" Foggy denied, "My colleague is-"

"I'll do it" Karen interrupted

Reluctantly Foggy left the room, leaving Frank and Karen alone.

"If you're feeling up to it, I-" she began

"My family" Frank said, stopping her, "You said my daughter was alive. What do you know?"

"I know that Theo has been alive all this time, thinking you were dead"

"What else?"

She dug in some papers and pulled out a police report, "Have you ever seen this? It's a police report, complaint number 211974. 'Victims were stopped at a traffic light northbound on Buellton Ave when an unidentified male suspect began firing a 9mm handgun at their vehicle. Juvenile male, juvenile female, and adult woman found dead at the scene. Adult male driver was critically wounded and taken to Metro-General.'" Karen read

"That's horseshit" Frank spat

"That's the story Reyes is running with, one where your oldest child isn't even mentioned. But you and I know that you and your family, you...you were at the carousel that day. From what I can piece together, it seems like you were caught in some kind of firefight. How much can you remember?"

"This ain't about what I remember"

"Yes. Yes, it is. Mr. Castle, I've got a lot of puzzle pieces, but...trust me this moves a lot smoother if you can tell me anything"

"It goes in and out...the fact that it fades...we took our blanket down to our spot. She was by the carousel, on the lawn with the boy, and she was...on the carousel. Then I heard her shout. Scream. It was a grown man."

"Who did you see?"

Frank shook his head "I didn't, but I found out later. Cartel, Irish, Bikers."

"Anyone else?"

"I should've seen it coming" he whispered

"How could you have known?" she questioned

"What did I just say? I said that I heard it. I heard it...and I didn't do anything" he answered "My job was to keep them safe. I didn't. I didn't do it"

Karen had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying along with a teary Frank "Uh, I think that, uh, the questions can wait a minute, I'll just...Why don't I come back when you're…" she fumbled grabbing her papers and purse

"You stay," Frank told her "Please"

Karen nodded, sending Foggy for some coffee and Frank sitting in an up position.

"You were never in any danger" he informed her as she sipped the hospital coffee

"What?" she inquired softly

"The other night. Babysitting that shitbrick, running around with that Grotto. I just...I only hurt people that deserve it, I wanted you to know that. You and your friend...you weren't going to get hurt by me"

Karen scoffed "That, uh, that friend I was with was your daughter"

"What? You mean, she really…"

"Yeah, she's a nurse at Metro-Gen"

"Tell me...tell me more about her"

"I can't tell you much, we aren't exactly close"

"Anything. I just need to know"

Karen took a deep breath "She left law school after your family was killed, moved around a lot with her bestfriend since they lived together"

Frank let out a small smile "Creely Hearn"

"Yeah. Uh, she moved to Hell's kitchen about two years ago after her friend got married. She loves her job, helping people, she's very dedicated. And, um she's getting married in two weeks."

"Married?" Frank stuttered "Who...who is it?"

"Matt Murdock"

Frank's eyes watered again, he couldn't believe that his baby was getting married. And he was going to miss it.

"You were both safe, I just...I didn't know it was her. They told me she was dead. But you were safe, I wanted you to know that"

"I guess I'm just supposed to take your word on that?"

"Classy. Nothing to do with my word, lady"

"No?"

"No. Look, you got any idea what a scout sniper is? You ever heard of that?"

"No"

"No? Well, you're looking at one. My class in Quantico was class 307 and we had a motto 'One shot, one kill'. The point is, is that if I wanted you dead you'd be dead"

"Why am I here? Why did you ask me to stay?" Karen snapped

"I don't know...I guess I worry that...the memories are just gonna go away."

"Mr. Castle-"

"Look, you...you went to...you were in my house"

"You never went back? After your family was…"

"No. Can I just ask you...did you...were you in the kitchen?"

"Yes"

"The plates...were they still in the sink?"

"Washed and in the rack"

"What about the next room, did you see the piano that was in there?"

"Yeah. Yeah"

"Yeah? My son, Frank Jr, he...he used to grab a handful of cookies and take them and hide them in that bench. You know, he'd play soldier. Guard it protect it. Then he'd fall asleep down there, we'd find him sleeping in a pile of cookie crumbs"

"I went up into the kids' bedrooms, Theo's was empty and it looks like she took some picture albums with her. But, there were drawings on the walls and sports trophies on the dressers."

"Yeah, I was gone a lot...so I didn't...I missed a lot of that"

"There were toys scattered all over the ground, um, little plastic dinosaurs"

"Those were my little girls, those were Lisa's. When she was little she used to make these little noises when she played with them"

"And the toy car? It was like a...remote controlled Jeep"

"Yeah, yeah, that was, uh, that was Frank Jr's. I got that for him for his seventh birthday, he drove me crazy with that thing"

"What about the fairy ballerina?"

"Teddy. She used to move the furniture in the living room and take that doll and twirl around on her tiptoes for hours wearing her tutu and some fairy wings"

Karen laughed imagining a young Theo doing ballet with a doll.

"Look, it's not for me to say, but, uh, they clearly loved you" she choked out "Very much. Truth be told I don't think Theo ever got over your death, or your family's death rather" She then went over and grabbed the picture from her purse, sticking it in Franks' hand.

"Thank you, ma'am" he whispered

"For what?"

"You helped...you helped me remember"

Karen nodded "She's been by to see you, but Reyes didn't let her in. I can try and get her in...make it so you two can see each other"

"Really?"

"I'll do my best"

Frank nodded his thanks to the blonde woman "If you want to ask your questions, you can go ahead"

* * *

When Teddy finally got back home from shopping and hanging out with Cree, it was late and she was surprised that Foggy was sitting outside the apartment.

"Hey," she greeted "What're you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Matt, but I guess he's still caught up with that new client. Is that the dress?" he asked

"Yeah it is"

"So this is actually happening. Congratulations"

"Thanks. All we need to do now is make sure Matt has a suit"

"I got it covered"

They heard the sound of a door opening and closing, Matt rounding the corner

"Foggy? Teddy?" he questioned

"You weren't answering your phone. Why are you fancy?" Foggy replied

"What's going on?"

"I should go inside"

"Maybe you should stay," Foggy told her. He then looked down at his hands, "The arraignment…Frank pled not guilty, Matt"

Teddy gasped

"What?" Matt asked

"And it gets worse. Reyes pulled every string she has and fast-tracked the trial" Foggy answered

"What does that mean?" Teddy asked while Matt stammered

"All right" Matt whispered to himself, massaging his forehead "All right, all right, so we motion to extend. We, um, we streamline our case theory and don't waste any time fighting charges-"

"You don't understand, Matt!" Foggy shouted "Frank agreed! He thinks he's sticking it to Reyes or something"

"Oh, Jesus Christ dad" Teddy murmured to herself

"I hope your schedule is clear, buddy. Because the people vs Frank Castle...starts next week"

Teddy stood next to Matt with her mouth open from shock.

"Matt?" she called out after Foggy left "Babe?"

He finally snapped out of it and turned to her "Let's go inside"

"Yeah. So, what is up with the suit?"

"Oh, uh, fancy party with the new client. I hope it doesn't spoil that this is my suit for the wedding"

"You're fine...it's the dress that you can't see before the wedding"

Matt chuckled "You know, I'll have to have you testify right?"

"I know, it's pretty unique timing. Us getting married in the middle of all of this"

"Having second thoughts?"

"Never" she replied with a kiss

Matt smiled and she opened the door, putting her dress in the closet and getting undressed, joining Matt in bed.

 **A/N: Please R &R! we are so close to the big reunion scene!**


	12. Chapter 12

Karen called Teddy and had her meet at the prison. She was going to try and get some answers and information from Frank, like another character witness since Teddy had already agreed to testify on behalf of her father. That, and because Karen wanted to keep her promise to Frank for him to get to see his daughter. While Karen went in first, Teddy waited outside the door. Of course, Frank was being difficult, not wanting to be labeled with PTSD.

"You are on trial for multiple homicides and you don't have a defense strategy in place." Karen yelled at him, "You don't cooperate with us, It doesn't matter if I help you figure out who killed your family, you will never see justice. All you do for the rest of your life is rot in a goddamned jail cell! Your only living daughter is getting married in a week, and you are going to miss that because of this. So, if you want to be around for her for anything else, you need to work with us. If not for yourself then at least for her"

Frank stared at her for a moment before replying, "Colonel Ray Schoonover. My old CO. Let's forget the PTSD defense, but if you want a character witness, the colonel he will do"

Karen wrote down the name "Thank you"

"Now, ma'am, do you have anything for me or not?"

"I have something"

Karen went out to the door and beckoned for someone to come in. When Teddy stepped through the door, Frank's heart stopped.

"I promised to get you two together," Karen told them, stepping outside.

* * *

Teddy stared at her father, tears running down her face. She took notice of the multicolored bruises on his face and the cuffs around his wrists. She wanted to talk but felt frozen in place.

On his end Frank stared at his daughter, taking in all the changes. Her hair was longer than he remembered it last and no longer had the streaks of blonde in it. She barely looked like the teenager he saw at the carousel, she now looked more worried and tired, no longer carefree.

"Teddy…" he called softly

Teddy's lip quivered "Daddy" she cried, rushing over to him and hugging him, Frank sobbing and hugging her as best he could, "Daddy, Daddy" she sobbed

"It's ok baby, it's ok" he reassured, kissing the side of her head "I'm here"

They stayed that way for several minutes, both reassuring the other that it was real and that they were finally together once again.

"Everyone said you were dead. I thought-"

"I know. I thought the same thing. I saw you laying in blood and after I talked to that nurse...How did you make it out?"

By now she had reluctantly let go, in case a guard saw and made her leave, and was now sitting across from him, their hands clasped tightly. Frank didn't want to let her go, afraid that she'll disappear again from him. "I got shot in the thigh and in my side. I lost a lot of blood but woke up later. Bill told me that the doctors and cops said I was the only one left alive"

"Bill...Russo?"

"Yeah, I ended up living with him for a while. Cree after that"

Frank nodded "So, uh, I heard you're getting married?"

"Yeah. Matt and I. He's...he's amazing. Curtis agreed to walk me down the aisle"

Frank scoffed

"He's the next best thing to you"

"So that's why Murdock wanted to be my lawyer so bad. For you…." he paused, tears brimming his eyes once again, "I'm sorry Teddy. I should've looked for you, should've...I should've been there"

"It's not your fault. You didn't know. Someone tried very hard to keep you and I away from each other. I mean I work at Metro-Gen and I still had no idea"

"I'm going to find out who"

"Karen's been digging too. I'll see what I can do"

The guards came to the door, telling her that time was up and she had to leave. She kissed her father's cheek, promising to see him soon. Once she got outside she sent a text to Karen thanking her for allowing her to see her father.

* * *

The next morning, Teddy sat behind Foggy, Karen, and her father, Matt nowhere to be seen.

Foggy leaned back toward her "Where's Matt? He said he'd be late but this is ridiculous"

"I don't know. He never came home last night" she replied

"What's going on with him?" Karen whisper yelled

"All rise. Court is now in session, the honorable judge Cynthia Batzer presiding. Indictment number 1986-4447, The People v Frank Castle." the bailiff stated

"Be seated" said the judge

The trial began, Reyes giving her opening statements and Foggy and Teddy looking back every so often expecting Matt to show up. It wasn't until Foggy was nearly done with the opening remarks that Matt finally came through the door. The judge called a brief recess, Teddy meeting up with Matt in the hall.

"Matt, where were you?" she asked after Foggy and Karen gave them some space

"I got caught up. I'm sorry" he answered

"Well, I wish you would've left a note or something. I got worried when you disappeared and then didn't come home at all last night"

"I'm sorry," he said again, kissing her forehead. He sensed her pensiveness and became slightly concerned, "What's really bothering you?"

"Matt, you know I love you and I'm ok with your….extra-curriculars...as long as you come home to me alive. But this isn't the first time you showed up late or not shown up at all"

"Teddy, what are you-"

"I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise that on our wedding day you'll show up. On time and unscathed"

Matt grabbed her hands, "Teddy I swear to you I will be there on time for our wedding. I promise I won't let you down. I love you"

"I love you too"

She kissed him, then walked out of the courthouse to Metro-Gen for her next shift at work.

* * *

The next day, while Teddy was reluctantly getting ready to go to work, not wanting to miss any of the trial, someone began pounding on the front door.

"Hold on, hold on! I'm coming!" she yelled as she walked to the front door.

When she opened it, she saw a distraught Bill on the other side. She tried to slam the door closed, but he stopped it, entering the loft, holding the goodbye letter Teddy wrote him

"Get out" she demanded

"No. Not until you explain this" he retorted, holding the letter up

"What you forget how to read?"

He didn't reply

"Christ Billy. When someone writes you a goodbye letter you're not supposed to go talk to them"

"Why are you doing this?"

"I told you. Because I love Matt"

"No, you love me"

"I love him too. And it must be more if I'm marrying him"

His face dropped in shock and his skin paled "What?"

"We're getting married. In less than a week" she told him, wrapping her arms around herself

Bill ran his hands down his face, trying to hide the tears in his eyes, "Were you going to tell me?"

Teddy shook her head

"You know when Curtis told me you were getting married I didn't believe it. I had to hear it for myself and I still don't believe it"

Suddenly, he punched the wall three times, causing Teddy to jump back in fright. When he finished he pressed his back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position, tears streaking his face. Teddy stood an arms length away from him, too afraid to move. When he moved his arm toward her, she subconsciously flinched and backed up from him.

"Jesus Christ" he whispered, "What happened to us?"

"I had to leave" she replied

"But why? I love you and I would've done anything in my power to help you after-"

"Bill" she snapped, "Stop"

"I lost it too!" he yelled, "It wasn't just you, it was mine too!"

"You think I don't know that? It was both our losses and while I could barely get out of bed all you did was chase whores around!"

He was stunned "I didn't-"

"You didn't know that I knew? I didn't at first, but I figured it out." she sighed "We were no good for each other. We couldn't help ourselves like that"

"I wanted to help you. To fix us"

"I know. For a while I wanted that too"

"And now?"

"I want to be with Matt"

Billy nodded and got up from the floor, Teddy backing up again "Do you really think that I'd hurt you?"

"No. Just a force of habit I guess. I do it to Matt all the time"

"I love you, Theodosia"

"Bill. Please. I have to go and so do you"

"Where are you going?"

"Work"

"Work? Not the courthouse?"

"Not today. I couldn't take it off"

"Let me drive you"

"I'll be fine"  
"Teddy, please. If this is the last time I get to see you at least let me give you a ride to work"

"Fine"

"There's something else"

"What?"

"Tell me how I'm supposed to live without you. I've loved you for so long, tell me how I'm supposed to go on."

Teddy didn't answer, she just stared at the broken man in front of her

"I didn't come here to break down. I just...I dreamt of us being together and now that's going away and I don't know what to do" he told her

"You've survived before me, you'll be ok without me Bill" she replied, heading down the hallway.

He followed behind her, taking in every detail he could now that he was losing her, and feeling his heart break with every step.

 **A/N: short but now we see Teddy and Frank back together again. and a heart broken Billy who's quoting the song 'How am I supposed to live without you?' originally by Michael Bolton, but I prefer the Christian Cuevas version. Let me know what you think and as always, until next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Standing in front of the chair on the stand, Teddy looked at her father, then the crowd, feeling a bit nervous.

"Please state your full name for the record," the bailiff told her

"Theodosia Castle" she replied

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do"  
She sat in the chair and fiddled with her hands. Foggy got up and walked over to her

"Miss Castle, what is your relationship to the defendant?" he asked

"He's my father" she answered

"But, I thought that his family was all killed"

"We were both led to believe that our entire family was murdered that day. No one told my father that I survived and they also neglected to tell me that he lived as well"

"Why would someone do that?"

"Objection" called out Reyes

"Sustained" replied the judge

"I don't know why anyone would do that. All I know is that a lot of hurt could've been avoided if we were told the truth"

Foggy nodded and went back to his seat, Reyes getting up to cross-examine her.

"Your honor, this is just a big show. We have no birth record stating that Frank Castle had a second daughter. We don't know who this woman is or what her relationship really is to the defendant" she stated

"Your honor I can prove that Theodosia Castle is Frank Castle's daughter," Foggy exclaimed

"I'd like to see your evidence counselor," the judge said to Foggy

Karen dug through papers and handed a few to Foggy

"Adoption papers for Theodosia Xitano who became Theodosia Castle" he proudly stated

"These are official documents, Ms. Reyes. Theodosia Castle is legally Frank Castle's child" The Judge declared

"Redirect your honor," asked Foggy

The judge motioned for him to continue

"Miss Castle, how old were you when you were adopted by the defendant?" he inquired

"I was seven" she answered

"And how was it that you came to be apart of his family?"

Teddy smiled faintly "I ran away after my biological father beat me. I was on the street for a few days, hungry and cold when my dad found me. I almost got hit by a car and I guess he wanted to see if I was alright. He saw that I was just a kid and brought me back to his house. My mom was there and the brought me to the hospital. I'm not sure what happened after but a few months later I was living with them and they were my parents"

"What was Frank like as a father?"  
"He's the best. He wasn't always there because of his deployments, but he made up for it when he was here. He went to dance recitals, soccer games, piano concerts, all of that stuff. He tucked us in at night, even when we were too old for it, he kept us safe from thunderstorms and the monsters in the closet. He was a devoted parent"

"Sounds like you had a good childhood"

"After I was adopted I sure did. I never was afraid of being hit or starved or anything ever again. I remember there was…" she smiled, then faltered "There was this time after my fourteenth birthday, I had gotten a polaroid camera from my parents and my dad had just gotten home...and I remember turning the camera on him to take a picture and he makes the silliest face I'd ever seen him make. We took a bunch of pictures together of us making faces and it was one of the best days we both had in a while"

Foggy smiled "Thank you, Miss Castle"

Reyes rose again "It sounds like you and your father were close"

"We were, yes" Teddy answered, sounding almost robotic

"Does the name Owen Murphy mean anything to you?"

Teddy stiffened "It does."

"Objection. Relevance" yelled Foggy

"Goes to show the defendants character" Reyes defended

"I'll allow it" the judge ruled

"Isn't it true that your father beat Owen Murphy to the point where he had to be hospitalized after he assaulted you?"

"No"

"No?"

"My father didn't assault Owen Murphy. Someone else did"

"If not your father, then who was it?"

"I plead the fifth"

Reyes ground her teeth at the young girl and spun on her heel "I'm done with this witness"

"Thank you for your time, Miss Castle," the judge said, dismissing her.

* * *

After her testimony, Teddy met with Karen and her dad in a cell conference room. She had heard the outburst from that kid and knew it was getting to her father.

"I did that," said Frank "Right? That kid I took his father from him, I did that."

"Yeah you did" sniffed Karen "Look, Frank, I can't judge you"

"That was tough in there for you, right? That was...it was, um, hard?"

He reached over and held onto Teddy's hand

"I didn't expect her to bring up Owen. You had no part in what happened to him"

"Who is Owen Murphy?" Karen asked

"My ex-boyfriend that...he used to hit me and he almost killed me," Teddy told her

Karen's face dropped "Oh my God. I'm so sorry"

"It's ok. It was a long time ago"

"What happened to him?"

"Yeah, what did happen to him?" Frank inquired

"Russo happened"

Frank scrunched his brow in confusion

"Ok, you gotta do something for me," Karen told him "I need you to take the stand"

"Why would I-"

"The jury has to know what happened to you...they need to know what you go through every single day. After this afternoon...we don't have any other shot"

"What? And what do you think is going to happen here? We're not going to win this thing"

"But we could still get the charges reduced," Teddy told him in a pleading tone, "Daddy, I'm getting married tomorrow and you're going to miss it. I want you to be around for something"

"All of them, they think you're a monster, but we-" Karen gestured to herself and Teddy "We know that you're not."

"You sure about that?" Frank questioned, "What if this is just me now?"

"Then I will love you anyway" Teddy promised

"I'll do it" Frank decided

* * *

After leaving the courthouse Teddy went to Cree's house, where she was going to spend the night before the wedding and Karen went to Teddy and Matt's apartment in search of the blind lawyer. When she got there a strange older man opened the door and let her in, leading her to the bedroom and opening the door

"You got company" he called

Matt stood quickly from the bed and Karen stood staring at him and the woman on the bed

"Hey-" she began but stopped

"Karen-" Matt started

"Hi," said Elektra

"Um, let's, uh, let's go somewhere"

"No. Why?"

"So we can talk"

"I don't want to"

"I know this looks crazy, but it's really not"

"It doesn't...it doesn't matter. Frank Castle's going to take the stand on Monday and your friend could use your help. And don't be late for your wedding tomorrow" Karen snapped before walking out of the apartment.

* * *

XX

* * *

The next morning, Teddy and Cree arrived early at the church to do Teddy's hair and makeup before putting on her dress. By the time both girls were dressed Karen and Foggy stopped by to say hello and congratulations before heading out to wait with other people who already started to arrive. While she was waiting, someone knocked on the door, Cree going to answer it, then letting whoever it was inside and stepping out. She looked in the mirror and saw Curtis in his dress blues standing behind her

"You look beautiful Teddy," he told her

"Thank you" she replied, hugging him, "You look great yourself"

"Thank you. I ironed these just for you. You know, Russo's here too"

"He is?"

"Yeah. Is that ok?"

"It's fine. What time is it?"

"Almost ten"

She exhaled deeply and sat back down

"Nervous?" he asked her

"A bit. Mostly I just wish my dad was here...No offense"

"None taken. I wish your family could be here too. They'd be so proud of you Teddy"

She began to tear "Aww Curtis"

"I'm serious," he said, handing her a tissue, "You had the cards stacked against you and you still beat them. You came from the bottom up and you did it on your own"

"I had you and Russo to help me. And Matt"

"But in the end, you did it yourself. We were just moral support"

"I love you, you know that? You'll always be family to me"

"I love you too kid. Now let's get started shall we?"

"Not yet, Cree's supposed to come get me when it's time"

"When were you supposed to start?"

"10:30"

"You still have time...don't look so worried"

Teddy nodded and tried to relax in the chair.

A little over two hours later Teddy was up and pacing the floor, biting at her nails.

"Cut that out! You'll ruin your manicure" Cree chastised

Teddy shot her a look and continued to pace

"Teddy, sit down and relax. I'm sure Matt just got a late start and is on his way" Curtis tried to calm her

"Matt's a punctual person, he's not late unless it's a good reason right?" asked Cree

"Yeah"

"Then maybe something happened to make him late"

"He promised, he promised" Teddy mumbled to herself, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

They heard a knock at the door and Curtis opened it so see Foggy sanding on the other side with a solemn look on his face

"What's going on?" Cree whispered

"I can't get a hold of Matt. I called him a bunch of times but he's not answering" he answered

Hearing this, Teddy broke into tears, sitting back onto the chair. Cree gave Foggy a look and went to comfort her friend.

"Maybe someone should go to the apartment, make sure he's ok" suggested Curtis

"I'm going to do that now. Come on, Theo, you know Matt. He probably overslept"

Teddy wiped the tears from her face "I hope to God that's what happened, Foggy. Matt promised me that he'd be here on time. He swore to me"

Foggy nodded and left, Teddy laying her head on Cree's shoulder and Curtis standing with his hands on his hips looking at his adopted niece. One question on everyone's mind. Where the hell was Matt Murdock?

 **A/N: We are finally at Matt and Teddy's wedding, but..where is he? I got the inspiration for the** **wedding from Greys Anatomy so it could go one of several different ways and I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Like is he going to show up? Will Billy crash the wedding with a declaration of love? Will Teddy leave Matt? ETC feel free to let me know anything of how you feel or what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Special shout out to Guest, AKA Author Unknown, Spencee98, and AquaJMgirl for their awesome reviews!**

Several hours had now passed since Foggy left to try and track down Matt for the wedding. When he returned he didn't have Matt with him and Teddy had enough. Curtis tried having them wait a bit longer, but she decided against it.

"Send everyone home," she said through shuddering breaths, trying to keep it together, "There isn't going to be a wedding"

"Theo...are you sure?" asked Cree

Teddy nodded "Everyone please get out"

They all left, Cree going with Curtis to the altar

"Everyone can go home. There isn't going to be a wedding today" she told them

As people dispersed, murmuring, Cree went to Nicolae and grabbed the kids to leave at Teddy's request since the children were cranky and antsy, and Bill walked up to Curtis

"Curt, what happened?" he inquired

"Asshole never showed. He left her waiting all this time" Curtis angrily told his dark-haired friend

Suddenly Karen came running up to Curtis "Theo...she...she's not...she's crying too hard to breathe" she stuttered

Both men broke into a run, finding a distraught Teddy on the floor wailing and crying so hard that she was hyperventilating

"Teddy...Teddy, you need to breathe" Curtis tried

She just shook her head and continued to cry

"Let me try," Bill said, wanting to try something that used to work when she'd have night terrors. He knelt in front of her and grabbed her face in both of his hands, forcing her to look at him

"Hey, hey listen to me. You remember that poem you read to me? Tell me how it went" he told her

She stopped crying as loud as she tried to remember the poem

"She walks in beauty, like the night" Billy started

"Of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that's best of dark and bright" she shakily continued

"Good girl, keep going"

"Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light. Which heaven to gaudy day denies"

Finally, she stopped crying so bad and began to breathe normally, her head resting against Billy's chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her, whispering calming things to her. It was in that moment that Curtis saw something that was bigger than both of them, a sort of unspoken bond. As much as he hated to think about it, he wondered if Teddy's wedding to Matt didn't work out because she was meant to be with...someone else…

* * *

Teddy took off the dress in the church, putting on her yoga pants and a tank top, not caring if her scar was showing. She left her hair and makeup as it was, ready for the wedding, and left with Curtis back to she and Matts apartment.

When she got back to the apartment she walked in, not hearing Matt anywhere. She had Curtis leave and went into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. A shuffling sound came from the bedroom, so she placed the glass down and went to investigate. She opened the door and found Matt, shirtless and sleeping next to a dark-haired woman that was wearing a pair of Teddy's pajamas. Angry and humiliated, Teddy went back into the kitchen and grabbed the glass of water, then went back into the bedroom and poured the glass on Matt. He shot up and tried wiping the water out of his face.

"You son of a bitch!" Teddy exclaimed

"Teddy? What time is it? Teddy I-" he stuttered

"You what? You missed our wedding because you got caught up sleeping with some whore?" she screamed

"Don't call her that! I'm sorry that I was late. I wasn't sleeping with Elektra, she was hurt and needed help and I just fell asleep. We can reschedule the wedding, do it however you want"

"You think that's going to fix it? Matt, I've put up with a lot of shit since we've been together but this was the last straw. You left me waiting at the aisle. I was humiliated! And you think I want to try again?"

"What are you saying? You've never said that what I do bothers you"

"What you do doesn't bother me. It's the consequences, Matt! Do you have any idea how upsetting and terrifying it is getting a phone call in the middle of the night from Foggy because you went off to fight a serial killer then disappeared with said serial killer and he couldn't find you. Do you? Because it scared me half to death and then you waltz back here the next day acting like nothing happened. You run off get hurt and nearly killed and act like nothing happened every time I have to stitch you up. It gets to be so much Matt and you have no idea"

"You never said anything"

"I've tried. I've tried so many times but you never listen so I stopped trying" she shook her head "I can't do this anymore Matt"

"Teddy...Teddy, no, please" Matt pleaded

"I'm sorry, Matt. I'm tired of putting up with the consequences of your actions and I am _**not**_ going to let you humiliate me again"

She turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment, placing the ring on a table near the door and ignoring Matts pleas for her to come back.

* * *

She went back the next day to pack her things, Cree and her brother agreeing to let her stay with them until she could get an apartment of her own. While the children took their nap, Cree and Teddy shared a bottle of wine and talked about the current situation

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked her sister-in-law

"I got my old spot back in my dance classes so I rearranged my work schedule a bit. Aside from that, I have no idea what's next." Teddy replied, sipping her wine

"You know, I saw Bill at the wedding. I didn't know you guys were talking"

"We kind of weren't. We caught up when I was in the hospital after that panic attack since he's still my emergency contact. We were supposed to go our separate ways, I didn't expect him to show up to the wedding"

"So you guys didn't talk at all after-"

"No"

"Theo...it was his baby too"

"I know. I just...I didn't know what to say and I always thought he blamed me for it happening"

"Do you know that for sure?"

Teddy shook her head

"Maybe you should find out"

* * *

When she got back that night after her shift at the hospital, she stayed awake, thumbing through a few of her mom's picture albums, coming across one of her, Frank Jr and Bill at the carousel around the time she was 16.

"You know I saw you that day" her brother's voice came

"I remember. I saw you too" she told him

"I know. I remember our fight. I regretted the things I said to you. I was angry and jealous"

"We don't have to talk about it. I've forgiven you a long time ago"

"But you could not forgive our mother"

"What Florica and her husband did was unforgivable"

"Creely says that when she found you that day...when you lost your child, you blamed mother and said she cursed you"

"Because one of the last times I saw her she said 'Te blestem pe tine și pe copiii tăi să nu respire niciodată' (I curse you and your unborn children to never breathe)

"Îmi pare rău sora mea. Mă rog să aveți un copil frumos și sănătos. Și că Dumnezeu îi va permite să se joace cu verișorii mei" Nicolae told his sister, holding onto her hand (I am sorry my sister. I pray that you will have a beautiful and healthy child. And that God will allow my children cousins to play with)

"Thank you, brother" Teddy said in English

The siblings hugged, then Nicolae went off to bed and Teddy stared at the picture, smiling at the memory of the banter between her brother and Bill

 **Her father and mother were watching Lisa on the carousel, while Bill and Frank Jr got the food and Teddy leaned against the gate of the carousel and watched the Romani people that were wandering around, doing different jobs to make money.**

" **Yo! Yo!" she heard Billy call "Come get it while it's hot"**

 **She turned away and walked toward her family, catching the last bit of he and Frankie's conversation**

" **I'm just saying little Frank, I think it shows a lack of imagination. I mean, your dad is a good guy and all. I just think he could've named you something different" he was explaining**

" **You guys hear Uncle Billy?" asked Frankie**

" **It's impossible not to hear your Uncle Billy, bud"**

" **His voice carries" Teddy giggled when Billy shot her a playful glare**

" **He talks very loud and very often" Frank continued slyly giving his eldest daughter a low five**

 **Billy ignored him and kept going "See, now I was named after the most famous outlaw that ever lived"**

" **Jesse James?" Teddy's mom quipped**

 **He chuckled sarcastically "No. Billy the Kid. And Billy the Kid was the fastest gun in the west" he sat down, making a fake gun with his hand "He was an orphan, like me, from New York. Then he went out west and survived on nothing but his wits and his bravery, and nobody could catch him because he was too smart and too badass."**

 **Frank chuckled and Teddy snorted**

" **Then what happened?" Frankie inquired, very into the story**

" **Pissed off the wrong people and they killed him for it" answered Frank**

" **Don't listen. Your father has no sense of romantic, just ask your mother" Billy joked**

 **Teddy laughed behind her palm and her mother threw a fry at Bill**

" **What?" Bill laughed "He was betrayed by his friend for money and fame"**

" **That sucks" Declared Frankie**

" **It does suck" Teddy agreed**

" **About the worst thing in this world that can happen" Frank added**

" **Uncle Bill?" Lisa asked between bites of food**

" **Mm-hmm?" he replied**

" **If you were an orphan, how do you know that you were named after Billy the kid?" she questioned**

 **His face froze for a second and Frank and Maria laughed**

" **Lisa…" Billy began, "You are way too smart to be your dad's kid. I do not know the answer to that...But, Teddy, you have an original name."**

" **Do I?" Teddy asked**

" **Theodora. Not too many kids running around with that name" he answered**

 **She laughed "And I'm not one of them"**

" **What do you mean?"**

" **My full name is Theodosia. Not Theodora"**

" **That gets extra creative points then. But, no middle name"**

 **Maria shook her head "Nope"**

" **Well" Teddy began**

" **Well what?" asked Frank**

" **Technically I have one, but ACS never put it in my file so it didn't end up on my papers," Teddy told them**

" **What is it?" Lisa asked her sister**

" **Miracle" she mumbled**

" **Miracle?" Maria repeated**

 **Teddy nodded**

" **It's cute," said Bill**

" **It fits. Our miracle girl" Frank says, kissing Teddy's head**

 **She looked up and locked eyes with a boy across the park, near where the musicians were playing**

" **Can I be excused for a minute?" she asked**

 **Her parents agreed and she went off toward the boy, coming to a stop in front of him**

" **Nicolae" she whispered**

" _ **Trădător!" he yelled (Traitor!)**_

" _ **Nicolae, vă rog. Asculta-ma" (please. Listen to me)**_

" _ **Ți-ai trădat familia. Ar trebui să fii mort pentru mine" (You betrayed your family. You should be dead to me)**_

" _ **Nu am trădat pe nimeni! Ei au fost cei care mi-au făcut lucruri îngrozitoare ... fiica lor!" (I betrayed no one! They were the ones that did awful things to me...their own daughter!)**_

" _ **Mincinos! Ai fost mereu gelos pentru că m-au favorizat, așa că spui minciuni murdare. Ești un Gadje murdar" (Liar! You were always jealous because they favored me, so you tell dirty lies. You are a filthy Gadje)**_

" _ **Eu sunt ceea ce m-au marcat... Ce au creat" (I am what they branded me...what they made me)**_

 **She was crying and Frank and Bill were looking over with concern**

" _ **Acei oameni pe care îi numești familia ta ... nu te vor iubi niciodată. Nu veți fi niciodată unul dintre ei. Iudeusul dezgustător" he said with finality, spitting on the ground and walking away, slamming his shoulder against Teddy's. (Those people you call your family...they will never love you. You will never be one of them. You disgusting Judas)**_

 **Teddy turned and watched his retreating form, tears running down her face. She turned and ran into the nearby bathroom. Maria getting up and following her daughter.**

Teddy remembered explaining to her mother what was said and that it was her brother who said it. They said nothing to anyone about it until they got home because Teddy didn't want to ruin anyone's fun, but when they got home, Maria pulled Frank aside and told him. He ended up going to Teddy's room and picking the lock since she locked herself in and told her that she wasn't a bad person for leaving her biological family and that they loved her just like they did Lisa and Frank Jr. It wasn't the first time she needed that assurance, but after that she didn't need it as much, believing that the Castles were her blood family that she'd do anything for.

 **A/N: There we have it! The end of Matt and Teddy. And maybe the hint of something with Billy? The poem used is called "She walks in beauty" by Lord Byron (George Gordon) and you'll hear it every now and then throughout the story. Also, we now know why Teddy left Bill in the first place (Besides the cheating thing previously mentioned) Google translate was used for the Romanian so again, I apologize for any mistakes. But let me know how you feel! I love love love getting your reviews. Thoughts and predictions are always welcomed!**


	15. Chapter 15

On Monday, Teddy sat directly behind her where her father usually sat, ignoring Matt when he tried to get her attention.

"Counsel are you ready to proceed?" asked the judge

"Just one more moment your honor" answered Foggy, going back to talking with Matt

Just then, Bill slid into the seat next to her. She looked at him in bewilderment.

"I thought you might need someone today," he told her with a simple shrug

"Thank you," she replied honestly

"Bailiff, bring in the defendant, please" stated the judge

Teddy took a deep breath and reached for Billy's hand, giving it a squeeze when her father walked through the door wearing the suit she brought for him

"He looks like an altar boy" Bill whispered in her ear

She giggled and nodded her head. As the bailiff swore him in, he looked at his daughter and frowned. Her blood went cold and her face fell,

"Something's wrong" she exclaimed

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know...something just doesn't feel right"

"I'm sure it's nothing"

She nodded her head but in the back of her mind, she knew something was wrong with her father.

Matt stood and put out his cane, then made his way toward Frank.

"Mr. Castle, you've been charged with multiple capital crimes. Been called a killer incapable of empathy or remorse" he said

"Yeah. So I hear" Frank replied

"Frank...May I call you Frank?"

Frank narrowed his eyes "Yeah"

"Frank, we've heard a lot about neurochemistry, psychology, and all things unfolding scientifically and otherwise inside your brain. But I have one question I want to ask...what happened that day?"

Frank stared at Teddy again, but this time, instead of meeting her eyes, his sight locked onto her hand holding onto Bill's.

"It's ok Frank, I know it's difficult," Matt said calmly

"Do you?" snapped Frank "Do you understand? Cause I don't think you understand shit"

Teddy let out a small groan "Why is he doing this?"

"You think he knows about the wedding?" Bill inquired

"I didn't tell him. I don't know if anyone else did" she answered

Matt folded his cane and placed it on the table "Permission to treat the witness as hostile your honor"

"Granted"

"All right, Frank," Matt began in a more authoritative tone "You don't want to tell us? I'll tell you. I'll tell you exactly what kind you are...you're the kind of man this city needs. Because ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this city needs help. We all know it. And it needs it now. This city's been sick and the cops, they can't fix it alone, they need-We need men and women who are willing to take the fight themselves. The kind of people who risk their lives so that we can walk safe at night in our own neighborhoods. The ones our esteemed district attorney here is trying so hard to destroy. New York needs these people. We need...heroes"

Most of the room applauded and the judge had to demand order be restored. Teddy didn't disagree, but she thought Matt was trying to justify his own actions by using her father's actions for his own gain.

"The help they offer...the hope they provide...Frank Castle wanted to help, but he took it too far. He shot people, he killed people. It's against the law. And he broke that law, many, many times. I don't like him any more than you do, but here's the thing, he's not a common criminal. He's not malicious in intent. Frank Castle is actually a good man as we heard from his daughter. He just...he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore and he doesn't need punishment for that, he needs help...that's the kind of man Frank Castle is. And now you have to decide what kind of jury you want to be. No further questions, your honor"

"Your, uh, your honor" Frank began "May I say something?"

"You may" the judge agreed

"You know those, uh, those people? The ones I put down, the people I killed? I want you to know that I'd do it all again"

The crowd roared and Teddy jumped to her feet

"No!" she cried out

"This is a circus, all right? It's a charade, it's an act. It's bullshit about how crazy I am. I ain't crazy. I'm not crazy"

"Dad, stop it!" she screamed

Frank just looked at her

"I know what it did. I know who I am and I do not need your help. I'm smack-dab in the middle of my right goddamn mind, and any scumbag, any lowlife, any maggot piece of shit that I put down, I did it because I liked it!"

His words were like a slap in the face, knocking Teddy off balance. Bill caught her before she fell, holding her steady

"I don't understand. Why is he acting like this? Why is he trying to get himself put in prison?" she asked him

"I wish I could tell you" he whispered, trying to calm her

The crowd was going wild and the judge was demanding order be restored.

"Hell, I loved it! I'm sitting here...and I'm itching, I'm just itching to do it again. And you think...What, you think you're gonna send me to a nuthouse? Some doctor, they're gonna stop me from doing what I want to do? Well, that ain't happening! Not on my watch!" he yelled "You people, you call me the Punisher, ain't that right? The big bad Punisher"

"Bailiff" Called the Judge

"Well, here I am!"

"Remove the witness"

The guard got Frank in a choke hold with the baton and Teddy had seen enough. With tears running down her face, she ran out of the courtroom and ran outside with Bill following behind her.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked her

"No. I have no idea what the hell just happened" she answered

"I don't either. That wasn't Frank"

"I know. Someone got to him, they must have"

"Or maybe-"

"Don't. I know what you're going to say. Please don't say it."

"What can I do to help?"

Teddy let out a breathy chuckle "What would you say if I told you we needed to talk and I was going to call you anyway"

"Let's go to my place then," he replied

"Not like we can go to mine. I'm staying with my brother and Cree with the kids for now"

He nudged her gently with his arm, getting her to laugh a bit through her tears as the walked side by side toward Billy's apartment

* * *

Once they got to the apartment, Bill poured them both a drink, knowing they would need it after the morning they had and the conversation they were about to have.

"Cree told me you came to the wedding," she told him

Bill chuckled awkwardly "Yeah, I, uh, I was going to try and stop the wedding. Object and all that"

"Why am I not surprised" she replied, then let out a deep exhale, "You know, there's a lot I have to apologize to you for"

"What are you talking about?"

"Leaving the way I did. It was wrong. I shouldn't have left like that"

"Teddy-"

"No, let me finish. It wasn't just my baby it was yours too. We both lost a child that day and we both pushed each other away. I blamed myself for it, thought it was my fault and got it into my head that you blamed me too, so after I found out about the other girls I just...I thought the entire situation was my fault and I thought it best if I left"

"Teddy, none of what happened was your fault. I never blamed you...I blamed myself. I drank and I did sleep with other women, but that's because I thought you were better off without me. I know it's a shit excuse, but it's true. We both needed help and we fought instead of being there for each other"

"We can be there for each other now"

"You don't think it's too late?"

Teddy took a deep breath "No. I still think about the baby every day. So I don't think it's too late for us to help each other grieve. But I think it's early for anything else"

"Early?" Billy asked

"Come on, Bill. We both know that we love each other still. And it would be so easy to fall back in step with each other...but I just had my heart broken and I need time before I give it back to you"

"I'll wait. As long as it takes...I'll wait for you Teddy"

She reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze "Maybe we can start over"

"I think we can both use a fresh start" he replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Despite everything telling her not to, she leaned forward and held Billy's face to hers in a kiss that they didn't break from for several minutes. When they did break, she realized she didn't want him to stop because she forgot the pain in her heart from her father and Matt when he touched her.

"What do you want?" he asked breathlessly

"To forget. Just for a little while," she whispered back, kissing him again

He obliged her and lifted her from the couch, kissing her neck as he carried her into his bedroom. She helped remove his dress shirt and ran her fingers over the familiar scars that decorated his shoulders. He took off her dress before putting her on the bed, letting his eyes take in every inch of her body before he began to kiss her again.

* * *

After, Teddy laid on Billy's chest, playing with his fingers while he played with her hair

"I miss this" he confessed to her

"Me too" she replied, smiling up at him

"Come back" he whispered

"I can't. Not yet" she told him

"When?"

"Soon"

"You know I'm impatient"

"I know"

He shifted onto his side and began to kiss her neck again, making her groan

"Billy" she groaned

"Stay the night" he pleaded between kisses

"I can't I have to work"

"Call in sick"

"I..can't call in sick"

He sighed "I guess I'll just have to make do with the time I have you for"

He then rolled on top of her and began kissing her again.

* * *

When Teddy got home after work, Cree was up making breakfast for the kids

"Hey, have you been at work all this time?" she asked

"No, uh, after what happened yesterday I went to talk to Billy" Teddy answered

Cree took a look at her sister-in-law's neck, noticing a dark spot poorly hidden with makeup

"Oh my God! You slept with him didn't you?" she exclaimed

"What? No!" she denied

"Theo, you suck at hiding hickey's and I'm not blind"

"Ok, so...maybe we-"

"Oh my GOD! So are you two back together?"

"Not yet. It's still too soon after Matt to get into another relationship, but when I'm ready we will get back together"

Cree squeeled

"Oh Christ" Teddy groaned, regretting saying anything

"Think about it, now you guys can have a baby and the kids will have a cousin to play with!"

"Is that all you think about?"

"Yes, because I want you to be happy and have a baby and I want little nieces and nephews to spoil. And besides, you could already be pregnant from last night"

"For one that's not how that works and for two that is what condoms are for. But I appreciate your concern for my happiness"

"Of course. What are sisters for?"

They hugged and Teddy went to take a shower and a nap before her next shift at the hospital.

 **A/N: Oh, Billy and Teddy, what are we going to do with you? Also, Cree is a bit one track minded isn't she? Also please leave me some reviews I love getting them and reading your opinions!**


	16. Chapter 16

It had been barely two days since Frank's incarceration that Teddy received word that he escaped from prison. Police showed up at the apartment asking her if she had any contact with him or if she had seen him, which she told them she hadn't. They told her to contact them if she did hear from him since he was now responsible for the death of a DA. She didn't believe what they were saying since in her mind if Frank did escape there was no way he wouldn't contact her and he definitely wouldn't go after a DA in broad daylight like that. She got a gnawing feeling in her gut that something was wrong and she was caught in the middle of it.

Once again, after work she found herself in the company of Billy Russo. The pair got dinner together and went back to his apartment where they lounged on his sofa watching television. The gnawing feeling was back and Teddy just couldn't put her finger on why

"You ok?" Billy asked her

"I just have a weird feeling. Like something's not right" she answered

He frowned "About being here? Or-"

"No. I want to be here. I've been feeling like this since I found out about dad earlier today"

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. It just doesn't sound right. Doesn't sound like him"

"I've known your dad for a long time, and you're right this doesn't sound like him but what other explanation is there?"

Teddy got up from the couch and faced the nearby window, looking out at the other buildings and lights of the city "I just don't know"

Before she knew it, Billy was behind her wrapping one arm around her waist and another over her shoulders. She leaned into him and tried to let herself relax but suddenly he threw her to the floor and dove on top of her as shots rang out, shattering the window where she was just standing. She screamed and covered her head, Billy's arm going over hers to try and keep her covered from the bullets. When the shooting finally stopped, Billy slowly got off of her and helped her to her feet

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" he questioned, checking her for any injuries

"No, no I'm not hurt" she stuttered, shaking from fear

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, tears spilling from her eyes. He put her in his bedroom and sat her on the bed

"I'm going to call the cops. Stay here"

She grabbed his hand "Please don't leave me"

"I'll be right back. I promise"

He left the room and Teddy hugged her knees to her chest, terrified at what had just taken place. Once again her life had been put in danger, barely being spared by pure dumb luck. She was thankful that she was with Billy and he was able to protect her. When he finally returned he sat with her on the bed and held her close to him as they waited for the police to arrive.

* * *

After the police left, finally convinced that Frank wasn't the shooter (Because why would he go after his own daughter?) Billy brought Teddy to her apartment to get a few days worth of clothes so that she could stay with him until the shooter was caught. Normally she would argue but the thought of putting her brother, Cree, and the children in danger made her agree with him. As long as the shooter was out there she wasn't going to work at the hospital, instead, Billy was setting her up with work at Anvil, finding training locations, processing background checks, taking notes on the exercises, and anything else that he needs from her. On that part, she did argue with him, but he made her see reason that he couldn't protect her in the hospital and she would be much safer in a building full of soldiers. She placed her bag on the floor near his dresser and sighed

"You'll be ok in here, I'll be out on the couch," Bill told her

"Or you could sleep in your bed" she replied

"I'm not making you sleep on the couch"

"Who said I was going to? I mean why don't you just stay with me"

"Are you sure?"

"Very. I don't want to be alone"

Before either of them could say or do anything Teddy's phone began to ring, she picked it up and excused herself from the bedroom

"Hello?"

 _There was heavy breathing from the other end "Teddy"_

"Dad?" she whispered

" _Yeah, it's me. Karen told me that she heard the gunman went after you tonight. You ok?"_

"I'm fine, where are you?"

" _I'm going after the Blacksmith. Once and for all"_

"I want to see you"

" _You can't. If you're safe I want you to stay safe. You are safe aren't you?"_

"Like Fort Knox"

" _Good. That's good. Listen, no matter what happens, I love you, ok?"_

"I love you too"

They hung up the phone and Teddy went back into the bedroom

"Everything ok?" Billy inquired

"Yeah, uh, Karen heard that the gunman went after me, apparently he went after her too"

"She ok?"

"She'll be fine, now let's get some sleep"

After a quick shower, Teddy changed into her pajamas and joined Billy in bed, where she got a restless but peaceful sleep against him.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that Teddy found out what her father had done the previous night. She saw a text from Karen telling her to turn on the news, so she did, seeing the remanents of a boat explosion that happened the night before that left 20 people dead.

 _ **TEDDY:?**_

 _ **KAREN: Your dad caused the explosion. Police think he might be one of the bodies.**_

 _ **KAREN: I'm sorry**_

Teddy stared at the phone and back at the television, unsure if she should be upset or not. Her father said that he loved her no matter what happened, did that mean he was planning a suicide mission? Or was he alive and letting the world think he was dead?

"What's going on?" Bill asked as he walked into the room

"According to Karen...Dad did that... and might be one of the bodies they found"

"Teddy…"

"I'm not believing it. Not until I see it for myself"

"There may not be a body to see"

"I don't care. I want evidence. Proof. I'm not going to give up so easily this time"

Billy sighed "Ok"

They got dressed and headed to Anvil, where Billy had Teddy set up in his office to work and find some new locations for him to use for training exercises. She found several places over the course of the next few hours, in between chatting with Bill and a few of the other recruits and texting with Cree and a few other people, openly ignoring the few texts Matt had sent her.

By the time night had rolled around again, she and Billy were back at the apartment cooking dinner and singing loudly to the songs playing on the radio in the kitchen. Teddy laughed at Bill trying to dance, holding a whisk like a microphone on his hand

"And what are you laughing at?" he asked

"I'm sorry, you are just such a bad dancer" she laughed

"Oh, yeah?" he said in a jokingly threatening way

Teddy nodded

He came toward her and Teddy shrieked trying to wiggle away from his grasp. In a matter of seconds, he had her pinned on the couch, grinning wickedly

"Who's a bad dancer?" he repeated

"You are" she answered

He kissed her neck "Are you sure?"

"Care to convince me otherwise?"

"Let me turn off the stove"

He turned the burners off and went back into the living room, lifting Teddy up and wrapping her legs around his waist, carrying her into the bedroom where he convinced her that he was in fact not a bad dancer at all.

* * *

Later that night while Billy was asleep, Teddy got a call from Karen asking her to meet at Colonel Ray Schoonover's house to help clear up her dad's name and set the record straight on the shooting. She agreed and left a note for Bill, slipping out the door and hailing a cab. By the time she got to the house Karen was just pulling up and the two women nodded in greeting and went to the front door, Karen pressing the doorbell. The door swung open and the Colonel invited them both inside.

"Thank you for seeing us so late, I hope we're not disturbing your family," Karen told him

"Not at all, I have teenagers. They haven't been home on a Friday night in years" he chuckled "Can I get you some coffee?"  
"No thank you, I'm ten cups in already"

"Castle would call that a good start"

"That he would. I'd love a cup, please" Teddy replied

The Colonel obliged her a poured himself and her a cup, handing it over

"I know I'm old. My wife calls me cranky. All the violence these days, the media would have you believe that's all there is in the world. I'm glad you ladies are writing this article about Frank. The real Frank"

"That's the goal," Karen said, "To show people that Mr. Castle wasn't just the Punisher"

"Right...Although, how is it that a lawyer is writing for a newspaper?"

"Uh, no I was a legal assistant"

"Past tense?"

"Turns out I have a knack for this"

"And Ms. Castle, if I'm not mistaken you're a nurse, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm just here to make sure everything is said that needs to be said about my father" Teddy answers

"Oh, I see"

"May I?" Karen asks, pointing to the photos on the wall

"Of course, that's what they're there for"

She walked over and looked at them while Teddy sat and sipped at her coffee.

"During the trial, you talked aloud about Frank Castle as a Marine" Karen mentioned, "Talked about respect and gratitude. You know, honestly, you were the only person outside of his daughter that had anything kind to say about him. So, I guess my question is...did you like him?"

The Colonel gave her a face of confusion "Like him?"

"Like, as a man...as a...as a friend?"

Schoonover chuckled "You know it's funny, when you're fighting a war you don't really make friends. At least not if you're fighting it the right way. I suppose you don't want to get close to anyone because, hey, you're...you're not all coming back. But at the same time you...you have to feel something, don't you? Otherwise, what are you all fighting for?"

Karen nodded and took noted and Teddy thought of Billy and Curtis, wondering if her father tried to not be as close to them as he became for fear of one of them dying.

"I remember Frank used to sing this horrible little song, he picked it up from one of his kid's tv shows, I think, when he was on leave and he brought it back to Afganistan with him and it was infectious" Schoonover continued, Teddy smiling a bit, "It went through everything like a virus, worse than malaria. Used to crack him up."

Karen laughed "I don't know...I don't know that I ever saw Frank like that"

"Bet you never saw him do impressions either"

Karen looked at Teddy "Impressions?"

"Oh, yeah. Big time" she replied "Mostly of the Colonel here"

"He had a knack for it. A sixth sense about ticks and subconscious behaviors and the way a brain works. It was spot on, really. Unnerving the way he could look into a persons soul"

"I think I know what you mean"

"Well, wherever Frank is now, I hope he finds that better part of himself again," the Colonel said while looking at Teddy

Teddy remained quiet and stared into the now empty cup

Karen closed her notebook and stood "Uh, Colonel, did you happen to catch the news from last night or this morning? There was a shipyard explosion"

"Yes. Yes, I did hear something about that. A drug deal gone south or something"

"Right. Yes, something like that. But, uh, just between us...the NYPD's keeping things under wraps until the investigation is complete. But...Frank was involved. He was on the ship when it went up"

Schoonover sighed and looked down "The police are sure?"

"Uh, well they don't have an ID yet, but...sorry I just...I was at the docks all night and into the morning, watching them pull bodies out of the water and there's no way that anyone could've…"

She broke off, staring at the photos again, Teddy staring at her in confusion

"After a war, some men turn their backs on you. They want to forget. Not Gosnell. No" The Colonel began darkly, turning Teddy's blood to ice, "He took the worse part of an IED on a recon, north of Kabul. Left half his face on a dirt road and spent the better part of a year in the hospital, but that kid never gave up. Never gave in"

Karen reached for Teddy's hand "It's late. We'll get out of your hair. I think we have everything that I'll need'

"When he got out he tracked me down. Asked me how he could serve me again. That boy was the definition of loyal" He suddenly reached and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the two women "Or was. Before Frank Castle murdered him"

"Colonel, please" Teddy tried "We really should just go"

"I'll walk you out"

He forced both women out to Karen's car, forcing Karen to open the trunk, where he stuck Teddy before getting in front with Karen.

When the car started, Teddy heard the familiar Earth, Wind and Fire song that her dad used to sing along to before it was cut off. Sitting alone in the small trunk Teddy was beginning to regret not telling Bill exactly what she was doing or where she was going because this time, she was sure she was going to die.

* * *

Without warning, it felt like the car was hit because Teddy was thrown sideways against the side of the trunk and she heard the sound of shattering glass. After some time the trunk was opened and Karen helped Teddy out of the car

"Are you ok? Oh God you're bleeding" she exclaimed

"I'm fine, are you? Your arm looks hurt"

"I'm ok"

They looked around at the scene of the accident, wondering where the other driver was and who they were, though Teddy had a suspicion that it was her father who caused the accident. She heard Karen whisper something then begin walking into the woods, Teddy following behind her. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do to Billy when this was all over. After a bit of walking, they found her dad with the Colonel

"Frank, don't kill him" Karen begged

"Go back to the car," he said

"Dad. Please" Teddy pleaded

"What's he talking about?" Karen asked, "Kandahar what's that, what happened?"

"Both of you go. Now" he repeated

"Karen, come on," Teddy said, tugging at her hand

"Did you do something"

"Go"

"If they come after you...just tell me. Tell me the truth. I'll help you, I'll help you figure it out. Just tell me the truth"

"Yeah. Tell them the truth" Schoonover rasped

"What happened? If you kill him you will never know"

Frank grabbed Schoonover and dragged him into the cabin, Karen shouting for him to stop

"If you do this then you are the monster that they say you are. Do you hear me? You do this and I am done. That's it you are dead to me"

He stopped moving around in the cabin and looked at her

"I'm already dead"


	17. Chapter 17

After bringing Karen home, Teddy returned to Billy's apartment to find him awake and pacing the living room floor

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded

"I left a note" she replied

"' _Bill, going out with Karen to work on a story about dad. Be back in a little while'_ some note. Why do you have blood on you?"

"Small fender bender on our way home"

"Jesus Christ! This is what I was worried about, you got hurt"

"I'm fine. Can we please go back to bed?"

"You can go back to bed if you want, I'm staying here"

Teddy sighed "Bill"

"No, Teddy! How do you expect me to keep you safe if you keep taking off and putting yourself in danger? I can't!"

She thought of all the arguments with Matt. How he'd always be putting himself in danger doing stupid things and how she just wanted him to be safe. She guessed this was how that felt from the other side.

"I'm sorry" she apologized

"So you say"

"No, I am. I get that you just want to keep me safe and protect me and I should just let you instead of fighting you and getting myself into trouble. You care and I shouldn't give you such friction about that"

"I'm glad you see my side of things. I love you, Teddy, and I'd do anything to protect you"

"I love you too"

Bill looked at her in shock, a grin spreading across his face "What was that?"

"Shut up"

"No, no, no. I heard something"

"So you heard me, then I don't have to repeat myself"

"Say it again"

"No"

"Come on, say it"

"No"

"Say it"

"Jesus Christ, go to bed Bill"

"Just say it"

Teddy huffed "I said I love you too"

"That's what I thought"

Teddy rolled her eyes and pushed passed Bill going into the bedroom, where she changed and got into bed, Billy joining her a few minutes later, pulling her onto his chest

"I love you" he whispered

"I love you too" she whispered back, listening to his breathing as he fell asleep, snoring softly. But she stayed awake, thinking of what she had seen with Karen and her father honestly feeling afraid of him for the first time in her life.

* * *

It was the next night when Teddy got the call. Her family home was on fire. She dragged Billy out to the house and watched at the remains of her family and childhood home burned to the ground. Firefighters fought to try and put the fire out, but so far they were not able to control the flames. From behind the firetruck, Teddy could make out a familiar face in the crowd. So she slipped away without Bill noticing and walked over to the familiar man

"You did this?" she asked

Frank nodded "I'm sorry"

"Forget about it"

"That Russo that brought you here?"

She looked back at Bill who hadn't noticed her disappearance "Yeah. He's been helping me out. Looking out for me since Matt"

Frank nodded "Look, Teddybear, I gotta go away for a while. I won't be able to see you or talk to you for a while at least"

"But-"

"I'm sorry Teddy but I have to go. I just stayed to tell you that I love you. You're my baby girl and I love you"

"I love you too daddy"

He kissed her head and turned, walking away from the crowd. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she made her way back to Billy, who noticed her moving beside him. Seeing her tears he automatically assumed they were because of the fire and put his arm over her shoulders

"Maybe we should get out of here" he suggested

"Maybe we should" she agreed, letting him lead her back to his car and away from the fire consuming her home.

* * *

The morning after the fire, Teddy felt sluggish performing her daily routine like a huge weight was on her shoulders. But she tried to shake it off and get herself ready.

"You know you don't have to come today," Billy told her

"I do. It's my job and it was just a house…" she replied

"I'm not just talking about the house. I'm talking about everything going on lately, you can take a break"

She shook her head "I can't"

Her phone began to ring and she looked at the screen, seeing it was Cree and pressed the ignore button. It wasn't long after that Bill's phone began to ring with an unfamiliar number

"Russo"

" _Bill? This is Cree. Theo's not answering me. Is she ok?"_

"I don't really know. She's acting kind of weird"

" _I heard about the house and her dad. Is she overworking herself?"_

"Trying to"

" _It's how she deals. I haven't figured a way to snap her out of it, her ex did. All I can tell you is to make sure she eats and sleeps or she'll make herself sick"_

"She already is. She was sick to her stomach this morning"

" _That's not good… Bill, you really need to be there for her. You do love her don't you?"_

"Of course I do"

" _Good because she needs you. I wish I could help more"_

"You helped plenty. Thanks"

He hung up the phone and went back to Teddy

"Hey, I have a meeting to get to. Do you want to go to the office or do you want to stay here?" he asked

"I'll go to the office. I have work that has to get done. I didn't know you had a meeting"

"I forgot about it myself till they called to ask where I was"

"Oh" she nodded

"I'll drop you off. Come on"

* * *

After dropping Teddy at Anvil, Billy headed to her old apartment intent of finding Matt Murdock. He went up to the loft and knocked on the door, it opening a few minutes later and Billy now being face to face with the blind lawyer.

"Matt Murdock" Bill stated

"Can I help you?" Matt questioned

"I'm here about Teddy Castle"

"Teddy? Is she ok?"

"No, no, I don't think she is"

"What happened?"

"Well, it happened in a cluster. Her fiance left her at the aisle, her dad died again, and her childhood home was burned to the ground. Now, I think she's pretty over that first one but those last two have her a little messed up and I'm not sure how to help her"

"Why are you here?"

"Because I heard that you are the only person that got her to snap out of that overworking, dissociative state that she goes into. And I want to know how you did it"

Matt sighed and opened the door wider, allowing Bill to enter the loft

"Teddy's a sensitive being, but you probably know that. When bad things happen, like people close to her die or her house burns down, she gets scared that the things she loves are going to be taken away from her. Especially the people. She's terrified that they're going to leave her or get hurt. I figured out that being there and just reassuring her that I wasn't going anywhere helped. Sometimes we'd spend a whole day just the two of us and after that, she'd be ok. That and I learned a poem she used to mumble when she had nightmares, I'd tell it to her and she'd repeat it to me and it would calm her down."

"What was the poem?"

"It went something like 'She walks in beauty, like the night; Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright; Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light; Which heaven to gaudy day denies.' or something like that. I don't really remember anymore"

"I know it. Thanks for your help"

Bill turned to leave but was stopped by Matt

"Do you love her?" he asked

"I always have. It broke my heart when she said she loved you."

"Take care of her"

"I plan on it"

With that, Billy took his leave and walked out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Bill tried his best to do like Matt had said and be there for Teddy and assure her that he wasn't ever going to leave her. But he wasn't sure it was working because she was still sick in the morning and well into the afternoons. She claimed it was just the flu and that she was fine but he was worried it was something more.

Teddy, on the other hand, had officially quit her job at the hospital to work full-time at Anvil. She didn't mind the work and the soldiers that worked there were all nice to her and she enjoyed talking with them. Some of them tried flirting at first but stopped as soon as they found out that she was taken by Billy. She talked to Cree on occasion but it was sort of awkward since a fight they had when Cree accused Teddy of being pregnant. She took a test and it came back negative. Although she still felt the symptoms, morning sickness, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and an increased sense of smell. But since the test came back negative she chalked it up to the flu.

* * *

"I really wish you would go see a doctor" Billy told her one morning after Teddy had gotten sick and nearly fainted

"I'm fine" she assured him

"Babe, you've been sick like this for weeks and it's only getting worse"

"If I get checked out will it make you happy?"

"Yes"

"Ok. I guess that means I'll be late today"

"I don't care. Take all day if you need it"

"Mr. Russo, how kind of you"

Billy smirked and kissed her "Smartass"

After he left Teddy grabbed her keys and first stopped at a drug store, then made her way over to Cree's apartment, using her spare set of keys to let herself inside.

"Cree! Cree!" Teddy called

Cree came out from one of the back bedrooms "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry about the other night. I'm terrified that you're right because of what happened the last time so I really really don't want to believe that it's true. But I really need your help" Teddy said, holding up the bag from the drug store

"I forgive you and of course I'll help you. What are sisters for?"

They unboxed each of the five tests and Teddy went in a cup placing each test inside. When the time was up the removed the sticks and looked over them, reading the words that appeared on each individual screen. Teddy feeling her heart stop beating after the third one because nothing is wrong three times.

 **A/N: OMG! Let me know what you guys think! I want to hear theories on genders and some name ideas. As always please R &R!**


	18. Chapter 18

Teddy sat in the room anxiously waiting for the doctor to bring her the results of her blood test. In a small baggie in her purse sat five pregnancy tests, all of them reading positive. Even with those tests, she needed to hear it from an actual doctor, not wanting to believe it was true. Finally, the doctor came back into the room with a few papers and pamphlets in her hand. She sat in the chair and turned so that she was facing Teddy.

"Well, the results from your blood test came back and it does confirm that you are pregnant," she told her

"I'm...pregnant?" Teddy repeated, tears pricking her eyes

"I hope congratulations are in order"

"They are...I'm just...shocked"

"Well, I've made a copy of the results for you, as well as write you a prescription for prenatal vitamins and give you some pamphlets to help you through the pregnancy"

Teddy took the papers and thanked the doctor, making a follow-up appointment and heading to Anvil to meet Billy.

* * *

When she walked into the building, she passed by some of the recruits in the training room, Billy looking out at them from the window in his office.

"They're looking good" she commented as she walked into the office

"They're getting there" he replied, kissing her and having her sit in his chair, while he sat on the desk "How was the doctor?"

"Oh, um, yeah we'll talk about that later"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just...something I don't think you want to hear here"

His face went blank and he reached across the desk and grabbed the phone "Simmons...Take over for the rest of the day, I need to head out. I'll take care of anything else tomorrow if I have to"

When he hung up, he grabbed his coat and held his hand out for Teddy, who took it and rose to her feet. They walked out of the building together and got into Bill's car, starting to drive home. The entire ride, Bill was silent, barely sparing Teddy a glance and it was making her very anxious, reminding her of Owen. While Bill had never put his hands on her and she knew he never would, she couldn't help the feeling she got.

"Bill" she called to him, receiving no answer "Babe, will you please say something?"

When they got to the next stop light he turned his head to look at her

"I told you, it's nothing bad," she said in a shaky voice, putting her hand on his cheek

He wrapped his fingers over hers and pressed a kiss into her palm "I know. But the fact that you wouldn't just tell me worries me"

He then turned back to face the road, still holding her hand in his own for the rest of the drive.

* * *

When they got back to their apartment, Bill took her coat and hung it up with his, then went to change out of his suit into more regular clothes. While he was putting their coats away and changing, Teddy took the prenatal vitamins, blood test results, and pregnancy tests she did and put them on the table for him to see. He came back into the kitchen and took a deep breath

"So, what happened?" he asked

She picked up the bottle and handed it to him

"Prenatal vitamins? Why would they-" he began, realization washing over him "Are you?"

Teddy nodded and looked at the table where the tests were. Billy followed her line of sight and moved closer to the table, looking at all the positive tests and picking up the results from the blood test and reading them, tears forming in his eyes.

"Are you mad?" Teddy asked him

He put the bottle and papers down and held her, resting his forehead against hers "Of course not. I love you and this baby. I'll take care of you both, I swear"

"Hey, I love you too. But, this is terrifying"

"Yeah, but you're going to be an amazing mom and I'll be here for everything. My old man was never there but I'm going to be different"

"You're going to be the best"

They both smiled and shared a kiss, moving to the couch where they curled up together, Billy resting his hand on her stomach. She was in pure bliss laying there with him that she was caught completely off-guard with his next question

"Teddy, will you marry me?"

She sat up and looked at him "What?"

"Marry me"

She wasn't sure what to say so he continued

"I love you and I love our baby and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to be a family. Marry me"

"Yes"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

They kissed and Bill kissed her stomach

"What are we gonna tell Curtis?" she asked

"The truth. We love each other and we're going to get married and start a family"

"I don't think that's going to fly"

"How about you let me worry about Curtis and you worry about our wedding"

"That's easy. One word. Elope"

"Are you serious?"

"Yup. I don't really want to do the big wedding thing again, not after last time."

"You know I'd never leave you like that"

"I know. I'm not giving you the chance" she laughed

"Whatever you want, we'll do"

"Really?"

"All I want is you. I don't care how we do it"

"Courthouse it is then. Think about it though, all the money we save we can spend on the baby"

"Money is not an issue, babe"

"I know, but I want to give this baby everything we possibly can"

She laid back against him and focused on the television while Billy put an arm around her and relaxed into the sofa, finally feeling content.

* * *

A few days later, Bill went down to the community center to talk to Curtis. He caught him as he was cleaning up from the last meeting

"Hey Curt" Billy greeted

"Hey, man. What's going on?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you about something"

"Teddy?"

"Sort of. You know Teddy and I have been seeing each other for a little while now right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, we decided that I should tell you-"

"Tell me what?"

"Tell you that...she's pregnant and we're getting married"

Billy should've seen the hit coming, deep down it was expected. But before he could react, Curtis's fist was in his face and blood was flowing from his nose.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Curtis yelled, "You got her pregnant?"

"Curt, I'm going to make it right. I'm marrying her"

"You shouldn't have gotten her pregnant in the first place"

"I thought you were ok with us"

"I tolerated you two dating because I thought she'd get over you. Not you knock her up and stick her with marrying you. Jesus Christ Bill, you know Frank would kill you and to be honest, I'd help him hide your body"

"Come on, Curt. I'm not sticking her with marrying me, I gave her a choice and she said yes"

"Because she's having your baby and doesn't want to do it alone. Think about it Russo, if you were her and about to have a kid all alone would you want to do it or would you accept someones offer to marry you and help take care of that kid. Would she have said yes if she wasn't pregnant?"

"Yeah, she would've. Teddy loves me and I love her and like or not this is happening Curtis"

"Like it or not huh? Then why come here, because I'm sure you knew I wouldn't like it"

"Because you're our family Curtis. She wants you to be a part of this and so do I"

Curtis sighed "I still want to kill you for this. But I guess I'll stick around. For Teddy"

Bill nodded "You still got a mean right"

"I know it. You should've seen it coming"

"Yeah I guess I should've"

"I'll see you around Bill"

"I'll see you, Curt"

* * *

After leaving the center, Bill went back to the apartment where he was immediately pestered by Teddy who wanted to know what happened.

"Oh my god, your face! Did he even say anything or did he just hit you?" she exclaimed

"Hit first and asked questions later" Bill replied, pressing an ice pack to his face "He's really not happy"

"Well I wasn't expecting him to throw us a parade"

"I sort of expected this. He said that your father would kill me and he'd help hide the body"

Teddy chuckled "That's true"

"I know it is. He said a few other things that got me thinking"

"Like?"

"Are you only marrying me because I got you pregnant?"

Teddy choked on her drink "What?"

"Is that why you said yes when I proposed to you? Because you're pregnant and don't want to raise the baby alone?"

"Is that really what you think?"

"I don't really know what I think"

"I cannot believe you right now" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration

"Well...I mean...is he right?" Billy asked, awkwardly putting his hands on his hips

"Do I want to raise this baby alone? No. But I thought that I'd have you to help me with that, married or not. I want to marry you, Bill, whether it be now or in the future. But for now marriage aside I wanted us to be able to raise our baby together"

"Teddy, I'm sorry. I just...he got into my head a bit with all of this stuff"

"So you tell me, Bill. What are we doing? Because I can go and live with my brother and Cree and they can help me take care of this baby if you don't want to do it anymore"

"No! Teddy, no. I don't want you to go. I want you and I want this baby. I love you"

"I love you too but I don't want to push you into something you aren't ready for"

"I'm ready. I want this. I want you"

"I'll stay as long as you're sure"

"I'll always be sure"

* * *

The day after their argument, Teddy was at Anvil with Bill going through some files when her assistant came and brought her some mail. Teddy thanked her and flipped through the letters, stopping on a handwritten on that was forwarded from her last address at Cree's house. It came from a Pete Castiglione out in Queens. She opened it and read the letter inside

 _Dear Teddy,_

 _I'm writing this letter to you to let you know that I'm ok. I made it out to Queens where I'm working on finishing what I started back home. I'll be moving around a lot so I'll do my best to keep you updated. For now, you shouldn't write me back since I may not get it. I'll do my best to keep writing you. Stay safe_

 _Much love,_

 _Pete (FC)_

After reading the letter twice Teddy figured out that it was her father using a false name to get in touch with her. She was glad she wasn't able to write him back since she wasn't sure what to say. At some point, she'd have to tell him about Bill and the pregnancy but she wasn't sure how to tell him so that he wouldn't kill Billy on the spot. She folded up the letter and stuck it in her purse, the placed her hands over her belly and stroked the material of her dress with her thumbs.

She thought a lot about her baby and what that baby would be like. If it would be a boy or a girl, how they would raise it, what it would look like and how it would act in the future. She wanted a girl that she hoped would have Billy's obsidian eyes and her golden brown hair. She hoped she would be brave and strong but gentle and sweet and not so hard headed as her parents. But mostly she wanted a girl just to torment Billy a little bit. She thinks he would be an overprotective father with his little girl but he'd also spoil her rotten. Teddy could foresee him participating in tea parties and braiding hair and even playing with makeup just to make her happy. Bill was antsy to know the gender of the baby and couldn't wait to find out. Of course, he wanted a boy, one to be just like him in nearly every way. They still had another 10 weeks to go before they found anything out since she was only 10 weeks pregnant. Something they did to pass time in the office was pick a gender and pick names that they both liked to write down as possible baby names for little baby Russo. So far they had 6 boy names and 7 girl names. As each day passed the couple grew more anxious about the baby, forgetting their arguments and focusing on making things perfect for their little one.

 **A/N: Here's a little filler chapter for you. Billy finds out Teddy's pregnant and she hears from Frank. Next chapter we'll find out the gender of the baby so I want to hear some opinions on what you guys think it's going to be! R &R!**


	19. Chapter 19

Finally, the time had come for Teddy and Billy to find out the gender of the baby. They waited anxiously in the doctor's office to be called, Bill's knees bouncing up and down. Up until now, they spent their time getting the necessities for the baby, keeping the colors gender neutral since they weren't sure what the baby was. After a little while of waiting, Teddy was called back into one of the rooms and set up on the table where the doctor squirted the ultrasound jelly onto her stomach. Bill sat in the chair next to her, holding her hand and watching the screen intensely. The doctor moved the wand around her stomach for a few minutes then paused

"Everything looks good, baby looks healthy. Do you want to know what you're having?" she asked

"Yes" Teddy answered

"You're having a boy. Congratulations"

The doctor printed the sonogram pictures out for Teddy and Bill and gave Teddy a towel to wipe off the jelly before saying goodbye and leaving the couple alone.

"A boy, huh?" Bill pondered

"Yeah a boy" Teddy pouted

"What's a matter sweetheart?"

"Nothing. I was just hoping for a little girl to torment you with"

"Torment me with?"

"Yeah. Dress up, tea parties, playing princess. I was going to get you in on all of it"

"I don't think so"

"You look into our little girls precious little face and tell her no, I dare you"

"Good thing I won't have to worry about it, now will I"

"Yet" she giggled

* * *

After the doctor, Teddy and Billy went back to the apartment and went back to the list of names they had picked out and tried to decide on one. The names they had chosen were

 **Thomas (Tommy)**

 **Sean**

 **Joshua**

 **Dominic**

 **James**

 **Alexander**

They decided that no matter what the baby's first name ends up being, his middle name would be Francis after Frank. As for Frank, or Pete as he was going by now, she wrote letters to him on a regular basis now that he settled permanently in Queens. She still hasn't told him about the baby or her engagement to Bill but she knew that at some point she'd have to. She knew that he found a job as a construction worker and she thought about seeing him all the time and with her pregnancy halfway over she missed him more and more. Bill knew about the letters to Pete but he just thought that Pete was an old college friend that Teddy kept in touch with, she could never tell him the truth. Only she and Curtis knew who Pete Castiglione really was.

A few days later Teddy went over to Curtis's house to talk to him about her father since she needed advice and since he was the only other person in on the secret, he was the only person she could go to.

"How's it going Teddy?" he asked her

"It's going pretty well. We found out we're having a boy so now we're getting more boy stuff for the nursery"

"A boy, huh? Bet Russo's real happy about that one"

"You got that right. He says he dodged a bullet"

"I almost wish you were having a girl just to mess with him"

"That's what I said. I told him maybe next time"

Curtis made a face at her

"Anyway, I'm here to talk about my dad"

"Yeah, I heard you've been getting letters from our friend Pete"

"I have and I want to go see him"

"Teddy, I don't know if that's the best idea. Especially in your condition"

"I know and it would be a lot considering I never told him about the baby or Billy"

"You never told him?"  
"No. I didn't know how. At least not in some stupid letter"

"Now I think you need to see him. Teddy, he needs to know"

"I know, I know"

"Take tomorrow and go out there. Talk to him"

Teddy wrung her hands "Yeah. Yeah I'll do that"

"Do that. And tell him I said hi"

Teddy nodded deciding that she would tell Bill that she was going to meet with Pete for coffee and to catch up so that he wouldn't ask too many questions that she couldn't answer.

* * *

The next day Teddy drove her car out to Queens and to a construction site where she assumed her father would be since it was the only site in the area. She walked up to the nearest person and tapped their shoulder

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Pete Castiglione," she told him

"The retard? What's a cutie like you want with him?" he replied

Not liking what the man had called her father she snapped back "That's my business now, isn't it? Can you please go and get him?"

The guy grunted and disappeared into the building, then returned a few minutes later with Frank in tow. When he saw Teddy standing there he dropped the sledgehammer in his hand and walked quickly over to her, wrapping her in his arms in a tight hug. His hair and beard had grown out since she'd last seen him and it made him look totally different.

"Teddy" he whispered into her hair

"Hi daddy" she replied

"What are you doing here?" he asked

"I wanted to see you" she answered

"You shouldn't have come"

"I know but I had to"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong. There's just stuff I have to tell you and I'm not going to do it in a freaking letter"

He smiled a bit at her "Come on, let's get out of here. Then we can talk."

They went back to his apartment and he made some coffee giving Teddy a mug

"What did you need to talk to me about that couldn't be said in a letter?" he questioned

"First I want to start by saying Curtis says hi and to remember that you love me," she told him

"What did you do?"

"I've been seeing someone and we're engaged and I'm pregnant" she blurted

Franks' face fell "You're pregnant?"

"20 weeks. I just found out that it's a boy"

"Who-who's the father? Is he around? What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't planned it kind of just happened. And he is around I told you I'm engaged to him we've been seeing each other since not too long after I ended things with Matt. And you know him"

"I know him? Who is he?"

"Bill Russo"

"Bill Russo! Are you kidding me? Teddy, please tell me you're joking"

"No. I'm serious. Bill and I are engaged and having a baby"

"Bill can't take any woman seriously, how can you get involved with him?"

"He takes me very seriously. Us getting married was his idea"

"I don't want to see you get hurt. I don't want to see what happens if he decides to leave"

"He wouldn't be the first man in my life to do so"

"Teddy that's not fair. I didn't choose to leave I had no choice but to go"

"Yeah, right"

"You think I like this? Being away from you when I just got you back? Because I don't"

Teddy sighed "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired of everyone telling me that Bill doesn't take me seriously and is going to take off. He won't"

"No. He won't. Bill might've been smooth with women but he's loyal. He won't leave you and he won't walk out on his child"

"He won't. If it makes you feel better the baby's middle name is going to be Francis"

Frank smiled and blushed

"So is this it for you? Construction gig and this tiny little apartment?"

"Pretty much. It's not bad, plus I get down to the kitchen and see Curtis every now and then"

"As long as you're not spending all of your time alone"

"Don't you worry about me teddy bear"

Teddy stayed for another three hours just talking with her father and enjoying being around him before she left to head back home, feeling better than she had in months.

* * *

Teddy spent the next few days working and getting a few more things set up in the nursery. She wasn't going to have a baby shower so she and Bill got everything they needed for their son themselves. She was folding up a couple of onesies that Cree had given her from when her sons were babies when Bill came in excited from a call he had gotten at Anvil

"Teddy, baby, you will never believe the call I got today" he exclaimed

"Oh yeah? Try me" she replied

"Homeland Security wants Anvil to work a training session for them for six months from now" he beamed

"Oh my God. Bill that's incredible, how did you manage to get HS to want to do a training session with us?"

"They called me. The girl I talked to said she heard how intense our sessions were and wanted to get her team to work it"

"That's amazing. I'm so happy for you"

"I can't wait to get started. I want it to be perfect"

"I'll do my best to make it so"

Bill smiled and kissed the side of her head "What is all this?"

"Some baby stuff Cree gave me from when she had her sons. I washed them since they've been collecting dust the past 2 years" she explained

"Great. A few less things for us to worry about when little man gets here"

"Less than 20 weeks left. Our baby is going to be set on clothes thanks to my brother and Cree"

"You know sooner or later we do have to decide on a name for him"

"I know, but I can't decide on one. And besides, we have until he's born to decide on one"

"Procrastinator" he teased

"You're one to talk"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I distinctly remember you saying we were going to go down to the courthouse to get married before I got too pregnant"

"And we will go...soon"

"Yeah. Soon. Babe the baby will be here faster than we'll get married"

"Ok, so let's go tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we can make it a short day and go after work"

"Really?"

"Really"

"Ok. Deal"

"Kiss on it?"

"Don't count on it" she laughed, throwing a onesie at him "I have to go in early tomorrow to start making arrangements for the HS program"

"I have a meeting tomorrow morning downtown with some investors. Are you ok to drive?"

"If I'm ok to drive to Queens I'm ok to drive to the office"

"I never did ask, how did your lunch go with your friend?"

"It was nice, we just talked and caught up with each other."

"That's good. I'm glad you had a good time"

"I did"

He moved over to the box that was on the dresser and pulled out a few more items, helping Teddy unpack and place the various toys and items in their proper place.

* * *

The next day Teddy was running a bit late leaving the apartment, Bill had already left half an hour beforehand and Teddy was in a rush. She got in her car and started driving toward Anvil, feeling frustrated with every red light she hit. Finally, the light turned green and she began to inch her car forward through the intersection. She was about halfway through when a car slammed into her door sending her sliding across the road. The force of the impact shattered her window and front windshield and caused her to scream. The airbag deployed fast and the last thing she remembered seeing is someone running to her car before everything went black.

 **A/N: DUN DUN DUN can Teddy ever catch a break? But on the bright side, IT'S A BOY! Now I just need to pick a name out of the small list I made. I'm lowkey leaning toward Tommy as a first name for the baby. Let me know what you guys think! Leave me some reviews!**


	20. Chapter 20

As soon as Billy's secretary pulled him from his meeting he knew something wasn't right. A twisting feeling formed in his gut and his chest tightened as he excused himself

"What's going on?" he asked her

"It's Theodosia. There's been an accident" she answered

"What do you mean? What kind of accident?"

"Her car was hit by a drunk driver on her way to the office this morning. She's going to Metro-Gen. Mr. Russo, I'm sorry"

"Cancel everything I have for today, I'm going to the hospital," he told her in a rush, running out of the building.

He made it to the hospital in record time, finding Curtis in the emergency room waiting room.

"Curtis!" he cried out "Curtis what happened man?"

"Some guy blew through the light. Smashed into the car that was going through the intersection. I went over to try and help and I saw that it was Teddy. She wasn't conscious. The EMT's took her back to check her and the baby out" Curtis told him

"Oh my God" Bill choked out

"I'm sure she's fine. Teddy's tough"

"I know, but she's pregnant." he shook his head, "I'm going to see what I can find out"

Curtis nodded and Bill went up to the nurse's station

"Excuse me, my fiancee was brought in here by ambulance not too long ago and I want to know what's going on," he told her

"What's her name?" the nurse asked

"Theodosia Castle"

She typed a few things on the computer before turning back to him, "Come with me"

She got up and walked around the counter and down several hallways, Billy keeping at her heels until they reached a room marked **T. Castle** on the outside.

"What's going on?" he asked

"You can see her. She just has a minor concussion and some cuts and bruises and we're waiting on the OB attending to come and check on the baby" she told him with an irritated sigh

Bill thanked her and went into the room. Teddy was laying on the bed using both hands to rub her stomach. She had two long scratches running parallel and diagonal across her face and a few bruises on her arms and face along with more cuts and scratches on her arms.

"Hey babe," she said hoarsely

"How you feelin?" he asked

"I haven't felt the baby move since this morning" she answered in a whisper, tears coming to her eyes

"I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just scared in there"

"I just want to feel him move. Kick, turn, do something"

Billy grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips "Everythings going to be ok"

"You don't know that." she sniffled, "I think the universe is trying to tell us something. It doesn't want us to be together"

"Babe, you're talking crazy. It was an accident. If it wasn't you, it was going to be someone else getting hit by that drunk. The universe had nothing to do with it"

"But if I had just left on time today, I never would've been in that intersection at that time. And of all days its the day we decide to get married"

"Baby listen to me. The universe can kiss my ass if it doesn't want me to be with you because I'm sticking with you till I'm in the ground. We were meant to be together and we were meant to have a family"

"I'm just so scared something happened to him"

Before Billy could reassure her that everything is ok, a knock came at the door and a doctor came in, rolling an ultrasound machine in with her.

"Hello, Miss Castle. I'm Dr. Brady and I'm here to check on your baby for you" she said. She squirted the ultrasound jelly on Teddy's stomach and hooked her up to a fetal heart monitor. Billy watched as the image of his son took over the small screen and the sound of his little heart came from the speakers. "His heart sounds good and everything looks fine"

"But he hasn't moved," Teddy said meekly

"He might not for a little while. The accident jarred him a bit so now he's not going to want to move for a little while, but don't worry. He's perfectly ok"

Teddy sighed in relief

The doctor printed the ultrasound pictures and gave them to Teddy before leaving the room.

"See. I told you he's ok" Billy told her

"Thank God" she replied, rubbing her belly again

"Still think the universe is out to get us?"

"Yes"

Bill rolled his eyes "I'm going to let Curtis know you're ok"

"Ok"

After Bill left, Teddy put the ultrasound picture on her stomach and tried again to prod her son into moving,

"Come on baby. Move for mommy" she pleaded

Finally, she felt a kick hit her bladder. She cheered and rubbed her stomach "Good boy"

By the time Bill returned the baby had kicked her three more times and showed no signs of stopping. Teddy grabbed his hands and placed them on her stomach so he could feel the movements

"Woah" he exclaimed

"Crazy isn't it? Like he's doing karate moves in there"

"Our future soccer player"

"I'm just happy he's moving"

"So am I. You ready to get out of here?"

"Oh yeah"

He helped Teddy out of the bed and helped get her dressed before the pair of them left the hospital. Teddy was set to be on bed rest for at least three weeks after the accident and Billy made sure she stuck to it, prohibiting her from doing any work and having her just rest instead, no matter how crazy it was making her. But that did leave her time to get the final preparations ready for when the baby got there which she thought would be sooner rather than later.

* * *

Several weeks later Teddy laid in bed, curled in pain from Braxton-Hicks contractions. Bill brought her some ice chips when he wasn't at work but he spent most of his time concerned that the contractions were for real.

"I think we should go to the hospital," he told her for the hundredth time

"I know but there's nothing they can do until it turns into actual contractions"

"I just hate seeing you in pain like this"

"I'll be ok. If it makes you feel better I finished the HS project"

"You did?"  
"Yup. All it needs is your approval"

"That's great. I'll look at his first thing Monday"

"I'm so excited for this to-" she broke off with a gasp

"What? What is it?" Billy inquired

"My water just broke" she answered

"Oh shit"

"Now we need to go to the hospital"

"Shit, right, uh..."

"Grab the diaper bag from the closet and let's go"

"Right"

He grabbed the diaper bag and ushered her out the door and to the car. They quickly drove over to the hospital and Teddy was admitted and brought into a room. Labor took over 16 hours but when it was over, Teddy held a screaming baby boy in her arms. She and Billy were both crying as they looked at their son

"So, what's his name?" asked one of the nurses

Teddy looked at Billy "Thomas...Tommy" she told her

"Welcome to the world Tommy"

Billy kissed Teddy multiple times before taking the baby and bouncing him back and forth.

"My boy...My beautiful baby boy" he cried

"He's perfect," said Teddy

"He has my eyes"

"He has my dad's smile"

"It does look like Frank a little bit. How long till your brother and sister get here?"

"They're coming tomorrow, Curtis is on his way"

"Joy," Billy said sarcastically

"Come on, you two need to get over your shit"

"I'm not the one with a problem"

"But you are the one acting like a spoiled brat"

"I am not"

"You are. You both are"

Billy huffed and sat down with the baby. A little while later Curtis showed up and held a small bear for Teddy to see

"Hey, congratulations," he said

"Hey, thanks. Come in, sit" she replied

Curtis walked all the way in the room and gave Billy a look as he glanced at the baby

"He's cute. He smiles kinda like Frank"

"That's what we all said"

Tension filled the air as it got quiet and Teddy was annoyed with it

"You know I never saw you as a mom this young" Curtis told her

"I never really saw myself as a mother right now either, but things happen" she answered

"Yeah...things," he said, giving Billy a glare

"Got something you want to say, Curtis?" Bill demanded

"Yeah, how about this is all your fault and she shouldn't be in this mess" Curtis barked

"You know what-" Billy began

"That's it! Give me the baby" Teddy ordered

Billy handed their son over to her and stood, fuming

"Now both of you get out," she told them

"What?" they both exclaimed in unison

"If you two can't stop getting at each other's throats I don't want you in here.

"Teddy" Billy started

"No Bill. I'm not having this shit around the baby. Curtis, I love you and you're family to me and I want you around but you need to accept that I love Bill and I plan on spending the rest of my life with him. It's not just him that got us here it takes both of us, so you need to stop blaming everything on him. And Bill you need to stop getting so defensive when you know Curtis is just trying to protect me. I already told you I'm with you till the end, you don't have to worry about the rest of it. Now, until you two can be civil, you can both leave"

Ashamed at what they had done, both men left the room and met up in the hallway

"She's right you know. We went from being great friends to at each other's throats and I don't want my kid seeing that" Bill stated

"Yeah well, she made a good point in there. I need to accept you two and now that you have this little family I need to accept that too. It's just that we've known her for so long and seen her through so much shit and I don't want to see her keep getting hurt. And I know how you've been with women over the years, I don't ever want Teddy to be one of them"

"Curt, I've changed man. Yeah, I know how I used to be but she changed me. All I want is Teddy and to have a life and a family with her. I lost her once and I'm never going to do it again."

Curtis sighed "I trust you, man. Because if I find you that you hurt her in any way, especially now, I'll do what Frank can't and kill you"

"I believe you"

"Think she'll let us back in? I do want to see her and the baby"

"I'll check in and see"

Bill clapped Curtis's back and went back into the room. When Teddy didn't immediately start screaming at him, he gestured for Curtis to follow him inside

"You two going to play nice?" she asked them

"We're good. He knows that I love you, kid and if I ever find out he hurts you, he's dead"

"I accept that. Do you want to hold him?"

"I should get going. I got a meeting to get to"

"Ok. Stop by anytime"

"I will"

Curtis said goodbye to Billy and left the room, the baby looking around and cooing at his mother.

* * *

Three days after Tommy was born, Teddy was allowed to leave and take him home. She wanted to take him to Queens to meet Frank but since her car was smashed in the accident she hadn't gotten another one, Billy drove her everywhere. She was happy with the way things were going between she and Billy, the pair of them sharing the responsibilities with their son. Billy would wake up in the middle of the night to change and feed Tommy, letting Teddy sleep in so she wouldn't have to wake up so early. Once her maternity leave was up, she went back to work and left Tommy at a daycare that she and Billy both agreed on. It was good timing when she returned to Anvil since the Homeland Security contract was in a few months and her replacement had no idea what she was doing. Teddy was able to quickly tidy things up so that everything would be ready for the day of the program. Billy and Teddy were a great team when it came to parenting Tommy and he was such a good baby that it didn't affect any part of their life and when Teddy brought him to work with her, the soldiers loved to look at him at coo over him while he rolled around and gurgled. They really were the perfect little family.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Months Later:**_

Teddy sat staring at the steaming mug on the table, she felt like the room was spinning and every little motion made her nauseous. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing so that by the time she had to leave for work she would feel well enough to get through her day.

"Good morning" Billy greeted, kissing her cheek

"Morning baby. Coffee?" She replied, holding her mug out to him

He took the cup and sipped it, leaning against the counter and taking a long look at his wife. He noticed something had been off for a few days but wasn't able to put his finger on it, even now he noticed her movements were slow like she thought about every step before she took it.  
"You feeling ok?" he asked

She nodded her head "Yeah, I guess I'm just a little tired"

"I'm not surprised, you had me up almost all night" he replied with a smirk

Teddy giggled and went to him, pulling him down for a kiss "What can I say, you're just irresistible"

Billy smiled, resting the bridge of his nose on her forehead and inhaling her scent. Like always she smelled like roses and coconuts, an odd combination but one he couldn't live without.

"God, I love you" he whispered, holding her tightly against him

"I love you" she repeated

She broke away from Billy's embrace, running her hands up his chest to his shoulders "I'll always love you, Bill Russo"

He kissed her again deepening their embrace until Teddy stopped him when she felt his hand skimming up her thigh and under her dress

"We have to go to work and bring Tommy to daycare" she whispered

"Do we?" Billy groaned, burying his face in her neck

"Yes we do, Homeland has that training exercise today and it would be a big win to get a contract with them"

"Alright, but I plan on making an early escape tonight"

"Yeah, right," she said sarcastically over her shoulder as she started toward the door, grabbing Tommy and his bag on her way. Billy bit his lip and chuckled before moving his cup from the counter to the sink and walking with Teddy and the baby out to the car.

* * *

They arrived at the building and went into the control room to watch the exercise take place, while Teddy took notes on what was done and what could have been improved. When the exercise was over Billy went to speak with some of the agents and let them know that they did a good job even though they had lost a hostage.

Teddy was just finishing her notes when one of the other men in the control room addressed her

"That was some training wasn't it?" he asked

"Anvil does it better than most. Billy does a great job selecting the right instructors and locations" she answered

"Not you?"

She shook her head "No, I leave all that to him. I just find locations for him to finalize, take notes on the exercises, process background checks and just about anything else he needs"

The man nodded "That's very dedicated Miss…"

"Russo. Teddy Russo" She replied, reaching to shake his hand

"Carson Wolf," he told her "Russo? So you must be Mr. Russo's sister?"

"I'm actually his wife" she corrected

"My apologies. But I must say, I'm impressed with what you all are doing here"

"Thank you, sir, I'm sure my husband will be glad to hear that"

He gestured for her to exit first, then he followed right behind her, heading out to where Billy and a female agent were talking

"Interrogating the help Madani?" he called over to her

"Sir, I didn't know you were here" the woman, Madani, replied while looking at Teddy

"Mr. Russo, Carson Wolf" Wolf introduced, shaking Billy's hand "As I was just telling your lovely wife, it's an impressive set up you have here"

"I'm glad you approve" Billy replied, "If you want to come by the corporate office I'd be glad to discuss tailoring a program-"

"Talk to procurement" Wolf cut him off, then looked at Madani "Kandahar's in your rearview. Don't forget that"

"Yes sir, just making conversation" Madani replied dryly

Wolf gave Billy a pat on the shoulder, a nod to Madani and giving a curt nod to Teddy "Mrs. Russo" before leaving the building

"We haven't formally met, I'm Dinah Madani," Dinah told Teddy

"Teddy Russo, it's a pleasure" Teddy greeted, then turned to Billy "I'm actually going to head outside for some air, I'll be back in a few minutes"

"You ok?" He asked lowly

Teddy nodded "Yeah, it's just a bit warm in here"

"Ok" he whispered, kissing her head and watching her leave, gesturing for one of his men to follow her

"You keep her on a tight leash" Dinah commented

"Not exactly, I just make sure she's ok" Billy chuckled "So, I take it you can talk about whatever you want off-duty?"

Dinah tilted her head toward him

"Maybe over a drink?" he asked

"Won't your wife mind?" she questioned

"A friendly drink? Not at all" he answered with a flirtatious smile

* * *

That night Billy met Dinah at Clem's, telling Teddy that he was meeting with one of the guys from Anvil.

"This where you bring a girl when you're trying to impress her?" Dinah asked him

"This is where I bring a girl when she's gonna see through all that," Billy said with a laugh

"I can't decide whether that's a compliment or not" she chuckled

"Are you the kind of woman who takes offense at those?" he questioned

"Depends who they're from" she flirted "The last time I saw glasses this dirty, I was in the NCO's mess at Bagram, saying my farewells to Afghanistan"

"Sounds like you miss it"

"I had unfinished business"

"There's no end to anything there. Afghans have been fighting invaders for a thousand years. For us it's a mission, for them its just...life" he sighed "I finished my last tour and I knew I couldn't go back. At least not in uniform, anyway"

"You never said who you were with" Dinah mentioned, sipping her drink

"Why do I get the feeling that if I name the right unit, you're suddenly going to get a lot more interested?" he inquired

"Marine force recon. Scout sniper specialist. 134 confirmed kills. Three tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan" she listed

"You read my file"

"I like to know who's paying me compliments. Married or not"

"Am I a suspect for something?"

"Not according to your discharge records"

"Is that why you came to Anvil for training? You figure I can help you with this unfinished business of yours?"

"I hope so, yeah"

Billy shook his head and signaled the bartender for another drink

"Well, I'm not about to throw shade on my friends," he said leaning a bit closer "I mean all due respect, Dinah, you're a cop. Soldiers can't question legality or morality in the moment. That's a way to get yourself killed"

Dinah downed her drink and looked at him. He chuckled and lifted his drink

"Ask your questions," he told her, taking a sip

"You served with Frank Castle" Madani stated

Billy sighed "Yeah, Frank Castle was my best buddy. I guess that wasn't in my file huh?" he said smartly "A lot of those kills I got in one night, side by side with the guy, holed up in a house in Basra with no backup. We spent the night trying not to die. One of the best nights of my life if I'm being honest, just them or us. Who was better? And there was nobody better than Frank. I'm sorry that he's dead"

Dinah glared at Billy "He took a lot of people with him"

Billy scoffed "What, drug dealers? Gangsters? Good."

"You shipped out. Castle didn't. Did he get dirty?"

"Stay in any war long enough, it'll get dirty. Unless you've got something good to hold onto. Frank had that taken away from him"

"Could he have been involved in drugs there?"

Billy laughed "If you knew the man, you'd know how dumb that question is. I think that the system let Frank down in a big way. So he did what he was trained to do"

"So if someone killed your family, you'd do the same?" she questioned

Billy paused and thought about Teddy and Tommy. Besides their break up he'd really only come close to losing her the day Frank lost his family and that had scared him, even though they weren't together at the time. He absolutely knew that he'd kill anyone who had a hand in killing his wife and his son, but he didn't want to give Madani the satisfaction of knowing the answer

"What about you?" he retorted

"I think some of us get to have the family life and some of us get to protect it" she answered, sucking her teeth

Billy leaned back and put his arm on the top of the chair "So...you're single?" Dinah made a face, causing Billy to chuckle "Uh...not worried that'll get kinda lonely?"

"I'm not lonely" she answered, "Are you?"

"Not really" he replied "My wife makes sure of that"

Dinah opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she heard her phone chime. She looked at the screen then got up in a rush "I've got to go"

"Never off duty huh?"

"Sorry. Let's...do this again sometime?"

Billy nodded "Yeah. Well, you know where to find me" he said, shifting in his seat. When Dinah was halfway out the door he called to her "Goodnight, special agent Madani" she turned around and he lifted his beer toward her "Happy hunting" she turned back around and continued leaving, leaving Billy to chug the last of the bottle.

* * *

Teddy was fast asleep, curled on the couch when Billy finally arrived home. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that it made Billy feel guilty for going behind her back with the Madani thing. He strode over to her and sat gently next to her, stroking her face lightly with his thumb. Slowly she stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open

"Hey," she said in a small voice "What time is it?"

"Late" he replied in a whisper "I'm sorry, I promised you an early day and I ended up going out with the guys"

She turned so that she was totally on her back and facing him "It's ok, did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was a good time"

"With how crazy it's been at work you deserve it" She pulled him down into a kiss "Come on, let's go to bed"

"Yes ma'am" he chuckled, lifting her up and carrying her to their bedroom.

* * *

Teddy had the feeling that Billy was hiding something from her, from the moment he told her he was going for drinks with some Anvil guys. But she trusted him, after all, if she didn't she wouldn't have married him. The feeling stuck though, so she busied herself with work and researching why she was so dizzy all the time. Deciding that the answers she was getting from online were insane, she made a note on her phone to make an appointment with her doctor. Almost as soon as she put her phone down it began to ring

"Hello?" she said

There was a pause and a bit of static on the other end, so Teddy repeated herself

"Hello?"

" _Hey Babygirl" replied Frank_

"...Dad?..." Teddy whispered tearily

" _Yeah, it's me"_

She wiped her eyes quickly "How are you? Is everything ok?"

" _I'm ok, I'm ok," he told her "Listen I need to talk to you about a few things. Can you talk?"_

"Yeah, yeah I'm home alone. What is it?"

" _Not over the phone. Do you remember the park near your old dance studio? The one with the chess tables?"_

'How can I forget' Teddy thought 'After dance practice, we'd take the kids to play on the jungle gym and Curtis and I played endless games of chess on those tables'

"Yeah I remember," she told him

" _Can you meet me there?"_

"Of course. I'll meet you by the swings in 20 minutes"

" _Ok. Be careful"_

"I will. I love you" she said

" _I love you too" he replied before hanging up_

Teddy put her phone on the counter and went to change her clothes, opting for comfortable and inconspicuous jeans and a t-shirt with her jacket, before grabbing Tommy and heading out to the park.

* * *

Teddy drove around the park twice, making sure she wasn't being followed, then parked by the chess tables, walking to the swing set. The cold air nipped at her face as she sat down at the chess table, keeping Tommy wrapped in his blanket and close to her chest while she waited. A few minutes later a figure came around the playground and sat across from her

"Dad" she exclaimed breathlessly, leaping off the seat and throwing her arms around him

He returned her hug with a tight squeeze, minding the bundle in her arms, but not once did Teddy complain about it. When he finally let go they sat back down, side by side, on the swings.

"What's going on dad? I haven't heard from you in months" she questioned

Frank nodded "I know. I'm sorry, I just wanted to keep you safe"

"Well as you can see, I'm safe" she snapped

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry ok?"

"Ok" she conceded

"I uh, I talked to Karen recently"

Teddy got a sly smile on her face "Really?"

Frank gave her a look "I needed her help"

"I didn't say anything" she laughed

"Anyway, she told me you got married? He replied, giving her a sad look

Teddy frowned "If you want to call it that. It was just at the courthouse, I didn't want a wedding"

"Why?"

"Because you couldn't be there. I always knew that if I got married I wanted my family there, for my daddy to walk me down the aisle to my husband. And I couldn't have any of that so I didn't want the wedding. Plus you remember what happened the last time" she cried

He went over to her and held her "I'm sorry Teddy, I'm sorry"

"If it makes you feel better I did wear a white dress and Curtis was there. He took some pictures I think"

"Did you tell your husband about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you tell him, or anyone, that I'm alive?"

"No. As far as he and everyone else knows, you're dead"

Frank nodded "So...who is he anyway?"

"If I tell you, you need to promise not to get mad"

"I can't do that"

"Then promise you won't go crazy and try to kill him"

"Ok ok, I promise I won't try and kill your husband. I won't miss" he repeated sarcastically

"Dad!"

"Ok, seriously. I won't kill or try to kill your husband"

Teddy took a deep breath "Ok, it's Bill. Billy and I got married"

Frank's face fell "Bill? Bill Russo?"

Teddy nodded

"Theodosia!" he yelled

"Ok, wait, you knew...you knew we were seeing each other. I told you"

"I know, but I thought you'd get over him not actually marry him"

"Dad, we have a baby together, of course, I was going to marry him"

Frank sighed and looked at the bundle in her arms "Is this the baby?"

"This is your grandson. Tommy"

She turned the baby around so Frank could see him. Frank smiled at him and the baby right away reached out to be held by his grandfather, Frank obliging and picking him up, holding him close

"He's a cute little guy isn't he?"

"He looks just like Bill. But he smiles like you"

Frank smiled, then his smile faded "Listen, somebody knows I'm alive. Calls himself Micro, but his name's David Lieberman. I don't know how he found out or what he wants, so until I do I want you to be careful, you hear me?"

Teddy nodded "Yeah"

"You still got that pistol I gave you?"

"Always," she told him, indicating her waistband

"That's my girl" Frank smiled, handing her the baby and getting up to leave

"Dad" Teddy called, rushing to hold him again

Frank wrapped his arms around his daughter and closed his eyes

"I love you, daddy, please...don't keep me in the dark this time" she begged

"I love you, Teddy. I'll call you when I can, ok?" he promised

"Ok," she said, letting go "I love you"

Frank kissed her cheek and let her go, disappearing into the shadows. Teddy wiped the tears out of her eyes and left in the opposite direction, heading back to her car and back home. She knew that practically every few sentences she said 'I love you' to her father, but she's nearly lost him too often to not say it all the time. She never knew when or if the next time she said it would really be the last.

When Teddy got back home Billy was still out, so after changing into her nightgown and a robe she put Tommy in his crib to sleep, then laid on the couch to wait for him. After a few hours of waiting she slowly began to fall asleep on the couch, stroking her wedding ring and thinking of her days at the park with her mom and siblings.


End file.
